Chinese word

棺材

Pronunciation

Pinyinguān cái

Meaning

  • nouncoffin

Example

我们要为他准备棺材。wǒ men yào wèi tā zhǔn bèi guān cái

We need to prepare a coffin for him.

Illustration for 棺材 (coffin)

More examples

工作人员把棺材运到火化场。gōng zuò rén yuán bǎ guān cái yùn dào huǒ huà chǎng

The workers transported the coffin to the crematorium.

Core concept

A box-shaped container that carries a dead person's body through the last stage before burial or cremation.

Common phrases

  • 订做棺材dìng zuò guān cái

    have a coffin custom-made

  • 运送棺材yùn sòng guān cái

    transport a coffin

  • 打开棺材dǎ kāi guān cái

    open a coffin

Similar words

棺guān: A coffin that holds and carries a dead person's body.
棺桶guān tǒng: A familiar, everyday coffin for transporting a dead person's body.
灵柩líng jiù: A formal coffin used when a dead person's body is carried for a ceremony or public occasion.

Definition in Chinese

安置亡者遗体以便送葬的木制或类似材料制成的箱形容器，用于入殓、下葬或火化之前。ān zhì wáng zhě yí tǐ yǐ biàn sòng zàng de mù zhì huò lèi sì cái liào zhì chéng de xiāng xíng róng qì yòng yú rù liàn xià zàng huò huǒ huà zhī qián

Word origin

The compound 棺 (guān, "coffin") + 材 (cái, "material") presents a coffin as a container made from materials such as wood.

Usage tips

  • This noun fits plain practical statements about funeral arrangements, so it can appear in logistical contexts rather than only in formal or literary descriptions.

Related words

  • 棺材店guān cái diàncoffin shopnoun
  • 棺木guān mùwooden coffinnoun

Word lists with this word