porcelain

porcelain — noun

1. a very hard, smooth material fired from special clay at great heat, often white

1.名詞B2
釋義

a very hard, smooth material fired from special clay at great heat, often white and glossy, from which fine dishes and ornaments are made.

例句

The sink is made of white porcelain and stays cool all day.

pattern: made of porcelain

Rosa learned to paint tiny blue flowers on porcelain at school.

pattern: paint on porcelain

同義詞
  • ceramic

    broader term for baked clay materials; not always as fine or glossy

  • china

    often used for fine tableware rather than the raw material itself

  • stoneware

    strong baked clay, usually thicker and less delicate

文法句型

made of porcelain

paint on porcelain

porcelain surface

用法筆記

Uncountable in this sense. It names the substance itself and often follows patterns such as 'made of porcelain' or 'painted on porcelain'; compare sense 2, which points to the finished objects.

常見錯誤

❌The cup is made from a porcelain.
✅The cup is made of porcelain.
💡the material sense is uncountable and normally follows 'made of'.

2. fine cups, plates, vases, figures, and similar pieces made from porcelain, espec

2.名詞B2
釋義

fine cups, plates, vases, figures, and similar pieces made from porcelain, especially when they are thought of as a group.

例句

The museum displays old porcelain in a glass case upstairs.

pattern: display porcelain

Aunt Mei wrapped the family porcelain in towels before the move.

同義詞
  • china

    common word for fine cups and plates used at the table

  • ceramics

    broader; can include art pieces and objects not made of porcelain

  • crockery

    mainly everyday plates, bowls, and cups rather than fine display pieces

文法句型

collect porcelain

display porcelain

bring out the porcelain

用法筆記

Usually uncountable here as well. Distinguish from sense 1: use this sense when the word means the finished dishes or ornaments themselves, not the substance they are made from.

常見錯誤

❌The shop sells many beautiful porcelains.
✅The shop sells a lot of beautiful porcelain.
💡this sense usually treats the objects as a group, not as a regular plural noun.