Gaiwan
Traditional 蓋碗Also written 盖瓯 · 盖杯
A lidded bowl used to drink or brew tea, often accompanied by a saucer. Tilting the lid creates a gap for sipping or pouring while holding back larger leaves.
On this page
- 1Knob
- 2Lid
- 3Body
- 4Base
In use#
Follow the tea through the gap between lid and rim. Wu Deliang describes brewing in a gaiwan, pouring into a chahai serving pitcher, then dividing the tea among cups.
- Brew the leaves in the gaiwan.
- Pour the infusion into the serving pitcher.
- Pour from the pitcher into the drinking cups.
The published Chaozhou code gives 90–150 mL, with 110 mL preferred, for its brewing vessels (§4.1). Its serving demonstration pours from a pot directly into cups (§§8.15–8.16). These details belong to that regional procedure.
Form#
- Knob
- 1flared ring knob (圈足鈕 / 抓鈕) atop the lid, pressed or tilted with the index finger and thumb when decanting
- Lid
- 2domed saucer-like cover (碗蓋) whose diameter sits slightly inside the flared bowl rim, tilted askew to strain tea leaves while pouring or sipping
- Body
- 3A flared bowl rim offers a place to grip, but its temperature depends on the vessel, fill level and handling; it is not guaranteed to stay cool.
- Base
- 4bowl ring foot (圈足) resting in a matching saucer or boat (茶托 / 茶船); two-piece gongfu sets (蓋甌) sometimes omit the saucer
- Spout
- none; liquor pours cleanly through the crescent gap between lid and flared rim
- Handle
- none
Working volume#
Choose working volume for the intended fill level and number of drinkers. Measure the individual vessel; a shape name or exterior dimensions do not establish usable capacity. Allow room for leaves and ensure the receiving cups or pitcher can hold the infusion.
Variants and sub-types#
| Name | 中文 | Difference | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Three-talent Covered Bowl (Sancai Wan) | 三才盖碗 / 三才杯 | A lidded bowl used to drink or brew tea, often accompanied by a saucer. Tilting the lid creates a gap for sipping or pouring while holding back larger leaves. | 134 |
| Chaozhou Two-piece Gongfu Gaiwan (Baici Gai'ou) | 潮州白瓷盖瓯（无托冲罐） | A flared bowl rim offers a place to grip, but its temperature depends on the vessel, fill level and handling; it is not guaranteed to stay cool. | 2 |
| Sichuan Teahouse Gaiwan (Tongchuan Gaiwan) | 四川茶馆铜船盖碗 | Larger porcelain bowl seated in a deep boat-shaped or round brass/pewter saucer (铜茶船), used throughout Chengdu and Chongqing teahouses both to steep jasmine or green tea and to drink directly from the bowl. | 13 |
History#
- Tang to SongCup stands (盞托 / 茶托) become standard companions to tea bowls in Tang and Song ceramics.3
- Ming (1437)With the shift from whisked powder to steeped whole-leaf tea (瀹茶法), a lid is added to retain heat and hold back floating leaves. A princely burial dated 1437 yielded a covered porcelain stem cup with a silver stand, cited as one of the earliest surviving covered-cup sets.13
- Qing, Kangxi to QianlongThe three-piece sancai (三才碗: lid as heaven, saucer as earth, bowl as humanity) reaches imperial perfection at the Jingdezhen imperial kilns (Jingdezhen porcelain) and Dehua kilns (Dehua blanc de Chine). Imperial examples in the National Palace Museum, Taipei include a Qianlong blue-glazed gilt gaiwan (清乾隆 霽青釉描金蓋碗, H 7.5 × rim Ø 10.8 cm) and a Qianlong porcelain gaiwan imitating carved cinnabar lacquer (清乾隆 瓷胎仿剔紅蓋碗, H 9.7 × Ø 11.0 cm).34
- 2023For Chaozhou gongfu practice, the published DB4451/T 4-2023, effective 30 October 2023, specifies brewing vessels of 90–150 mL, preferably 110 mL (clause 4.1). This is a regional practice specification, not a universal gaiwan capacity. DB4451/T 4-2023 §4.1
Attributions are shown as the source states them.
In other traditions#
- Counterpart of (from that entry) Handleless teapot Japan. Japanese Wikipedia reports a theory that the hōhin derives from the gaiwan; recorded as counterpart, not derived-from, until a stronger source is read.
- Counterpart of (from that entry) Squeeze-out pot Japan. Two retailers compare them: both are handleless and use the lid to hold back leaves; the shiboridashi has a spout or notches and the gaiwan has none. No descent is claimed.
Sources#
Status and editorial notes sources cited
Sources are listed below. Their presence does not certify every claim; source-specific interpretations and unresolved questions are identified in the text. This page has not received independent expert approval.
2026-11-05: revised after the homepage evidence audit. Historical attributions, model dimensions and practical guidance are distinguished; unresolved claims remain qualified. Earlier editorial conclusions are superseded by the current text.