Chaozhou clay kettle

clay long-handled pan

Definition#

The small unglazed clay kettle of the Chaozhou gongfu set, heated over the charcoal stove; Chaozhou sources give a capacity of about four liang (两) of water. Also called 茶锅 and, elegantly, 玉书碨. 铫 originally meant a lidded pan with a handle for decoctions or water; the Ming author Gao Lian ranked porcelain and clay above copper and tin for tea kettles.

Translation and usage#

Common confusions#

• The Mandarin reading of 碨 in 玉书碨 is unsettled: English Wiktionary gives wēi, Chinese Wiktionary lists other readings; we give no pinyin for that name.
• Not the 石瓢 teapot: the Guanfu Museum notes that the shape was first called 石铫 (stone kettle) and renamed 石瓢 on Gu Jingzhou's argument.

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