篅 (bamboo grain-store character)

It names a round bamboo grain store.

Made from split bamboo, the vessel was tall and covered, with a small opening near the bottom for taking grain out. “Grain bin” is closer than “basket.”

Where does 篅 come from?

Its written record reaches the Han period of Chinese history.

The 《说文解字》, an early Chinese character dictionary, analyzes 篅 as 竹 (bamboo) plus 耑 as the sound-bearing part, and defines the vessel by its construction. A note by Duan Yucai connects it with 土籧, a name for the vessel in Jiangsu, a province in China.

In the Yuan period of Chinese history, Wang Zhen's farming manual 《农书》 lists 篅 among farm grain stores: unlike a larger outdoor 囤, it was an indoor store for grain or seed. Dictionaries also broaden the gloss to “bamboo vessel” and list 圌, 𥬵, and 𥳙 as related forms.

How do you type 篅?

Use chuán, the Mandarin Pinyin reading for the grain-store sense.

Pinyin is the roman-letter system used to enter Mandarin. In a Chinese Pinyin input method, type chuán or chuan2 and choose 篅 from the candidates. Some dictionaries also give duān (duan1) for a separate bamboo-name sense, so check which reading your source uses.