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noun HSK 5
róng qì
container · vessel · receptacle

Meaning

容器 refers to any object designed to hold, store, or carry other things, whether liquids, solids, or gases. It encompasses everything from simple bowls and bottles to specialized industrial containers and computing storage units.

Usage

This is a general, formal term used in everyday and technical contexts. In computing, it also refers to software containers (like Docker containers). For everyday conversation, Chinese speakers often use more specific words like 瓶子 (bottle), 盒子 (box), or 碗 (bowl) rather than the general term 容器.

Examples

  1. 01
    请把剩菜放在密封容器里，然后放进冰箱。
    Qǐng bǎ shèng cài fàng zài mì fēng róng qì lǐ, rán hòu fàng jìn bīng xiāng.
    Please put the leftovers in a sealed container, then put it in the refrigerator.
  2. 02
    实验室里有各种各样的玻璃容器。
    Shí yàn shì lǐ yǒu gè zhǒng gè yàng de bō li róng qì.
    There are all kinds of glass containers in the laboratory.

Characters

Measure words

  • 个gè一个容器
  • 只zhī三只容器

Common collocations

  • 密封容器
    mì fēng róng qì
    sealed container
  • 储存容器
    chǔ cún róng qì
    storage container
  • 塑料容器
    sù liào róng qì
    plastic container
  • 容器大小
    róng qì dà xiǎo
    container size

Origin

容 originally meant 'to tolerate' or 'to hold/contain', while 器 refers to tools or implements. Together they form a compound meaning 'a tool for containing things'.

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