<p>I don't think there's enough direct evidence for a definite explanation, but here's something which I think is plausible, and is fairly common among academic circles.</p>
<hr />
<div class="s-table-container"><table class="s-table">
<thead>
<tr>
<th style="text-align: center;">時期<br>字體</th>
<th style="text-align: center;">字形</th>
<th style="text-align: center;">參考資料</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shang_dynasty" rel="noreferrer">商</a><br><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oracle_bone_script" rel="noreferrer">甲</a></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/BHNG2HQz.png" rel="noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/BHNG2HQz.png" alt="⿴㗊桑" /></a></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://xiaoxue.iis.sinica.edu.tw/yanbian/Reference/JiaguwenReference" rel="noreferrer">粹</a>470<br><a href="https://www.guoxuedashi.net/jgwhj/?bhfl=1&amp;bh=30781&amp;jgwfl=" rel="noreferrer">合集30781</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: center;">商<br>甲</td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/bm64Xq1U.png" rel="noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/bm64Xq1U.png" alt="⿴㗊桑" /></a></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://xiaoxue.iis.sinica.edu.tw/yanbian/Reference/JiaguwenReference" rel="noreferrer">前</a>6.2.5<br><a href="https://www.guoxuedashi.net/jgwhj/?bhfl=1&amp;bh=1082&amp;jgwfl=" rel="noreferrer">合集1082</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Zhou" rel="noreferrer">西周</a><br><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_bronze_inscriptions" rel="noreferrer">金</a></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/tCHmiRBy.png" rel="noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/tCHmiRBy.png" alt="器" /></a></td>
<td style="text-align: center;">Ｘ簋<br><a href="https://www.guoxuedashi.net/yzjwjc/?bh=4097&amp;jgwfl=" rel="noreferrer">集成4097</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spring_and_Autumn_period" rel="noreferrer">春秋</a><br>金</td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/trEl8rSy.png" rel="noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/trEl8rSy.png" alt="器" /></a></td>
<td style="text-align: center;">秦公簋<br><a href="https://www.guoxuedashi.com/yzjwjc/?bh=4315&amp;jgwfl=" rel="noreferrer">集成4315</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warring_States_period" rel="noreferrer">戰國</a>・<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chu_(state)" rel="noreferrer">楚</a><br><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bamboo_and_wooden_slips" rel="noreferrer">簡</a></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/jyhAzeBF.png" rel="noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/jyhAzeBF.png" alt="器" /></a></td>
<td style="text-align: center;">2.251<br><a href="https://zh.wikipedia.org/zh-hant/%E5%8C%85%E5%B1%B1%E6%A5%9A%E7%B0%A1" rel="noreferrer">包山楚簡</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Han_dynasty#Eastern_Han_(25%E2%80%93220_AD)" rel="noreferrer">東漢</a><br><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clerical_script" rel="noreferrer">隸</a></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/UmMFZrdE.png" rel="noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/UmMFZrdE.png" alt="器" /></a></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://zh.wikipedia.org/zh-hant/%E7%A6%AE%E5%99%A8%E7%A2%91" rel="noreferrer">禮器碑</a></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table></div>
<p>「器」 (喪器, <em>burial device</em>, <em>funerary urn</em>, or <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grave_goods" rel="noreferrer"><em>grave goods</em></a>) is derived from the same character as the original form of 「喪」 (<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reconstructions_of_Old_Chinese#Baxter%E2%80%93Sagart_(2014)" rel="noreferrer">Baxter-Sagart OC</a>: <strong>/*s-mˤaŋ/</strong>, <em>mourning, burial</em>), which is <a href="https://xiaoxue.iis.sinica.edu.tw/yanbian?kaiOrder=2482" rel="noreferrer">「⿴㗊桑」</a>; here, <a href="https://xiaoxue.iis.sinica.edu.tw/yanbian?kaiOrder=1698" rel="noreferrer">「桑」 (<strong>/*[s]ˤaŋ/</strong>, <em>mulberry tree</em></a>, phonetic component of 「喪」) was later corrupted into 「犬」 to form the modern 「器」. 「㗊」 (<em>multiple mouths</em> &gt; <em>crying, wailing</em> for someone's death) remained as a semantic component in both 「喪」 and 「器」.</p>
<p>The link between 「器」, <em>spirit/funeral rites</em>, and <em>mulberry</em> is hinted by several mentions in received texts; for example:</p>
<ul>
<li>
<blockquote>
<p><a href="https://ctext.org/yili/shi-sang-li/zh" rel="noreferrer"><strong>《禮儀・士喪禮》</strong></a></p>
<p>鬠笄用桑，長四寸，纋中。</p>
<p><strong><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Etiquette_and_Ceremonial#Content" rel="noreferrer">Etiquette and Ceremonial</a>: Mourning rites for the common officer</strong></p>
<p>Hairpins for top-knots shall use mulberry, four <em>cùn</em> in length, to fix the knot in the centre.</p>
</blockquote>
</li>
<li>
<blockquote>
<p><a href="https://ctext.org/gongyang-zhuan/wen-gong-er-nian" rel="noreferrer"><strong>《公羊傳・文公二年》</strong></a></p>
<p>虞主用桑，練主用栗。</p>
<p><strong><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gongyang_Zhuan" rel="noreferrer">Gōngyáng Commentary</a>: Second year of the Duke of Wén</strong></p>
<p>Post-burial memorial rite <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spirit_tablet" rel="noreferrer">tablets</a> shall employ mulberry, while first anniversary memorial rite tablets shall employ chestnut.</p>
</blockquote>
</li>
<li>
<blockquote>
<p><a href="https://ctext.org/rites-of-zhou/chun-guan-zong-bo/zh" rel="noreferrer"><strong>《周禮・春官宗伯》</strong></a></p>
<p>典瑞：掌玉瑞、玉器之藏，辨其名物與其用事，設其服飾。</p>
<p><strong><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rites_of_Zhou#Contents" rel="noreferrer">Rites of Zhōu</a>: Offices of Spring</strong></p>
<p>The 「典瑞」 is in charge of the storage of jade tablets of accord (瑞) and jade devices of spiritual rites (器), distinguishing them by their topic and usage, and establishing their proper adornments.</p>
</blockquote>
</li>
</ul>
<p>To be clear, the characters 「器」 and 「喪」 represent completely different words, so the association of 「器」 with  「喪」 is <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_character_classification#Indicatives" rel="noreferrer">indicative or ideographic</a> (rather than linguistic).</p>
<hr />
<p><strong>References</strong>:</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://archive.org/details/guwenzi-gulin/%E5%8F%A4%E6%96%87%E5%AD%97%E8%A9%81%E6%9E%97%C2%B702%C2%B7%E4%B8%8A%E6%B5%B7%E6%95%99%E8%82%B2%C2%B72000.12%EF%BC%881.1%EF%BC%89/mode/2up?view=theater" rel="noreferrer">《古文字詁林》, volume 2</a>, pp. 649-650</li>
</ul>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-12-13T22:15:36.553Z
2024-12-13T23:19:12.270Z
2024-12-13T23:19:12.270Z
dROOOze
<p>Somehow I'm not convinced of the classic interpretation that there is a dog 犬 needed to guard four vessels 口. Did 器 used to mean something else before being borrowed to mean &quot;organ&quot; or &quot;tool&quot;?</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-12-13T18:14:57.980Z
What causes you to think there are other interpretations?
r13
CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-12-13T20:13:22.363Z
From what I can tell according to some other interpretations, 器 may be composed of semantics 犬 (dog) + 㗊 (many mouths) and its original meaning is probably "the barking of a dog," which is the original form of 狺.
prismcool
CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-12-13T20:14:20.063Z
Or alternatively, 器 may be derived from 喪 for the sense of "burial container."
prismcool
<glyph-origin>
Glyph origin of 器
# Glyph origin of 器

(Asked by: username_0 on 2024-12-13)

Somehow I'm not convinced of the classic interpretation that there is a dog 犬 needed to guard four vessels 口. Did 器 used to mean something else before being borrowed to mean "organ" or "tool"?

**Tags:** glyph-origin

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: What causes you to think there are other interpretations?  
> **username_2**: From what I can tell according to some other interpretations, 器 may be composed of semantics 犬 (dog) + 㗊 (many mouths) and its original meaning is probably "the barking of a dog," which is the original form of 狺.  
> **username_2**: Or alternatively, 器 may be derived from 喪 for the sense of "burial container."  

---

## 1 answers

### Answer by username_3 on 2024-12-13. Score: 11 | Accepted answer

I don't think there's enough direct evidence for a definite explanation, but here's something which I think is plausible, and is fairly common among academic circles.

---

| 時期 字體 | 字形 | 參考資料 |
| --- | --- | --- |
| [商](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shang_dynasty) [甲](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oracle_bone_script) | [⿴㗊桑](https://i.sstatic.net/BHNG2HQz.png) | [粹](https://xiaoxue.iis.sinica.edu.tw/yanbian/Reference/JiaguwenReference)470 [合集30781](https://www.guoxuedashi.net/jgwhj/?bhfl=1&bh=30781&jgwfl=) |
| 商 甲 | [⿴㗊桑](https://i.sstatic.net/bm64Xq1U.png) | [前](https://xiaoxue.iis.sinica.edu.tw/yanbian/Reference/JiaguwenReference)6.2.5 [合集1082](https://www.guoxuedashi.net/jgwhj/?bhfl=1&bh=1082&jgwfl=) |
| [西周](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Zhou) [金](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_bronze_inscriptions) | [器](https://i.sstatic.net/tCHmiRBy.png) | Ｘ簋 [集成4097](https://www.guoxuedashi.net/yzjwjc/?bh=4097&jgwfl=) |
| [春秋](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spring_and_Autumn_period) 金 | [器](https://i.sstatic.net/trEl8rSy.png) | 秦公簋 [集成4315](https://www.guoxuedashi.com/yzjwjc/?bh=4315&jgwfl=) |
| [戰國](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warring_States_period)・[楚](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chu_(state)) [簡](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bamboo_and_wooden_slips) | [器](https://i.sstatic.net/jyhAzeBF.png) | 2.251 [包山楚簡](https://zh.wikipedia.org/zh-hant/%E5%8C%85%E5%B1%B1%E6%A5%9A%E7%B0%A1) |
| [東漢](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Han_dynasty#Eastern_Han_(25%E2%80%93220_AD)) [隸](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clerical_script) | [器](https://i.sstatic.net/UmMFZrdE.png) | [禮器碑](https://zh.wikipedia.org/zh-hant/%E7%A6%AE%E5%99%A8%E7%A2%91) |

「器」 (喪器, *burial device*, *funerary urn*, or [*grave goods*](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grave_goods)) is derived from the same character as the original form of 「喪」 ([Baxter-Sagart OC](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reconstructions_of_Old_Chinese#Baxter%E2%80%93Sagart_(2014)): **/\*s-mˤaŋ/**, *mourning, burial*), which is [「⿴㗊桑」](https://xiaoxue.iis.sinica.edu.tw/yanbian?kaiOrder=2482); here, [「桑」 (**/\*[s]ˤaŋ/**, *mulberry tree*](https://xiaoxue.iis.sinica.edu.tw/yanbian?kaiOrder=1698), phonetic component of 「喪」) was later corrupted into 「犬」 to form the modern 「器」. 「㗊」 (*multiple mouths* > *crying, wailing* for someone's death) remained as a semantic component in both 「喪」 and 「器」.

The link between 「器」, *spirit/funeral rites*, and *mulberry* is hinted by several mentions in received texts; for example:

* > [**《禮儀・士喪禮》**](https://ctext.org/yili/shi-sang-li/zh)
  >
  > 鬠笄用桑，長四寸，纋中。
  >
  > **[Etiquette and Ceremonial](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Etiquette_and_Ceremonial#Content): Mourning rites for the common officer**
  >
  > Hairpins for top-knots shall use mulberry, four *cùn* in length, to fix the knot in the centre.
* > [**《公羊傳・文公二年》**](https://ctext.org/gongyang-zhuan/wen-gong-er-nian)
  >
  > 虞主用桑，練主用栗。
  >
  > **[Gōngyáng Commentary](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gongyang_Zhuan): Second year of the Duke of Wén**
  >
  > Post-burial memorial rite [tablets](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spirit_tablet) shall employ mulberry, while first anniversary memorial rite tablets shall employ chestnut.
* > [**《周禮・春官宗伯》**](https://ctext.org/rites-of-zhou/chun-guan-zong-bo/zh)
  >
  > 典瑞：掌玉瑞、玉器之藏，辨其名物與其用事，設其服飾。
  >
  > **[Rites of Zhōu](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rites_of_Zhou#Contents): Offices of Spring**
  >
  > The 「典瑞」 is in charge of the storage of jade tablets of accord (瑞) and jade devices of spiritual rites (器), distinguishing them by their topic and usage, and establishing their proper adornments.

To be clear, the characters 「器」 and 「喪」 represent completely different words, so the association of 「器」 with 「喪」 is [indicative or ideographic](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_character_classification#Indicatives) (rather than linguistic).

---

**References**:

* [《古文字詁林》, volume 2](https://archive.org/details/guwenzi-gulin/%E5%8F%A4%E6%96%87%E5%AD%97%E8%A9%81%E6%9E%97%C2%B702%C2%B7%E4%B8%8A%E6%B5%B7%E6%95%99%E8%82%B2%C2%B72000.12%EF%BC%881.1%EF%BC%89/mode/2up?view=theater), pp. 649-650


---

