china

china — noun

1. A fine, white clay material that is shaped, dried, and then heated in a very hot

1.名詞B1
釋義

A fine, white clay material that is shaped, dried, and then heated in a very hot oven until it becomes hard, smooth, and slightly see-through.

例句

The vase is made of fine china that was fired at an extremely high temperature.

made of [material] for composition

Aiko carefully painted small blue flowers onto the raw china surface before it was glazed.

raw china — the material before glazing

同義詞
  • porcelain

    More formal or technical term for the same material; 'china' is more common in everyday speech

  • ceramic

    Broader category that includes china, stoneware, earthenware, and tiles

文法句型

china + verb (singular)

made of china

用法筆記

Uncountable — you cannot say 'a china' to mean one piece of the material. Use 'a type of china' or 'a kind of china' when referring to a variety.

常見錯誤

❌The artist used a china to make the bowl.
✅The artist used china to make the bowl.
💡China is an uncountable material noun and does not take 'a'.
❌The chinas from this region are very white.
✅The china from this region is very white.
💡As an uncountable noun, china takes a singular verb form.

2. Cups, plates, bowls, and decorative objects made from the hard white baked clay,

2.名詞B1
釋義

Cups, plates, bowls, and decorative objects made from the hard white baked clay, especially when kept for everyday or special use in a home.

例句

Theo set the table with the best china for his grandmother's birthday dinner.

the best china — a common collocation for special-occasion tableware

Leila wrapped each piece of china in newspaper before packing it into a box.

piece of china — partitive structure for uncountable noun

同義詞
  • porcelain

    More formal; 'porcelain' is preferred in writing about antiques or manufacturing, while 'china' is the everyday word

  • dinnerware

    A broader, more practical term that includes plates, bowls, and cups made of any material

  • tableware

    Refers to any dishes and utensils used at meals, not just those made of china

文法句型

a piece of china

a set of china

the [adjective] china

用法筆記

Distinguish from sense 1: this sense refers to finished household items, not the raw material. You can 'buy china' (objects), but you 'work with china' (material).

常見錯誤

❌I need to wash the china carefully.
✅I need to dry the china carefully.
💡The correct verb for after washing is 'dry', not 'wash'.
❌She gave me three chinas as gifts.
✅She gave me three pieces of china as gifts.
💡Use 'pieces of china' to count individual items.