huò

镬

Character · NounTraditional鑊

wok, cauldron; ancient cooking vessel, torture instrument

Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma

Meanings

2 senses · 6 examples
1.

noun

wok; cauldron; pot

dialect

Used in some southern Chinese dialects (e.g., Cantonese, Hakka) to refer to a cooking wok or pot. Standard Mandarin equivalent is "锅 (guō)".

Ā阿
mā妈
yòng用
dà大
huò镬
chǎo炒
cài菜
 。

Mom stir-fries vegetables in a big wok.

Qù去
shì市
chǎng场
mǎi买
gè个
xīn新
tiě铁
huò镬
 。

Go to the market and buy a new iron wok.

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huò镬
chǎn铲

wok spatula

2.

noun

ancient large cauldron; torture instrument

literary

In ancient times, a large cauldron used for cooking, but also famously as an instrument of torture or execution (e.g., boiling). The phrase "斧锯鼎镬" refers to ancient cruel instruments of punishment.

Gǔ古
dài代
yǒu有
dǐng鼎
huò镬
zhī之
xíng刑
 。

In ancient times, there was the punishment of boiling in a cauldron.

Fǔ斧
jù锯
dǐng鼎
huò镬
 ，
lìng令
rén人
bù不
hán寒
ér而
lì栗
 。

Axes, saws, tripods, and cauldrons—these ancient torture instruments make one shudder.

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Zhè这
gè个
chéng成
yǔ语
bǐ比
yù喻
cán残
kù酷
de的
xíng刑
fá罚
 。

This idiom metaphorically refers to cruel punishments.