Tricky wording: Why is it called a 'clock'?

The word 'clock' appeared in Vietnamese at the latest in the 19th century, and was recorded in the Dictionarium latino-anamiticum (1838) by Jean Louis Taberd: 'hourglass, wheel clock, water clock, mandarin clock' (p.55).

In Nom script, the clock once appeared in the sentence: " Dem dong truong dong thanh thot " (𣈘冬 長 銅 壼 咱 説) - Ca tru the cach , printed according to the woodblock of Lieu Van Duong tang ban, Thanh Thai Canh Ty year (1900).

Clock is derived from Chinese, consisting of 2 words:

Copper (铜) is a character that first appeared in a Warring States period text. Its original meaning refers to a type of metal. In ancient times, it was called "red gold" (赤金) as in Mozi. Miscellaneous writings .

Hu (壶) is a character first seen in oracle bone script during the Shang Dynasty, its original meaning is a container for liquid ( Zuo Zhuan. Year 13 of Duke Zhao ). In ancient times, people mainly used lakes to hold water and wine, later expanding to a tool to measure time by dripping water. When receiving guests, ancient people also used this tool to entertain guests.

The compound word clock (铜 壶) has two main meanings:

a. Copper kettles , used to hold wine and water, come in three types: red copper kettles (the best type), brass kettles and white copper kettles, usually handmade or cast.

b. Time measuring instrument , a type of ancient clock in the shape of a bronze kettle, with a characteristic design: small neck, flared mouth, bulging belly, round legs, and decorative patterns on the outside. This type inherits the traditional style of the Spring and Autumn - Warring States period. Round kettles are called Zhong (钟), square kettles are called Fang (方).

In ancient literature, there are many articles mentioning clocks , such as "Good wine depends on the cup, the copper kettle rusts drop by drop " - excerpt from the poem "Nhạc Phủ" by Cố Hương during the Tang Dynasty; or the sentence "Tinh thich dac dong ho tich lau, da nguyet vi tan" (Listening to the copper kettle dripping, the moon is dim in the night) in "Bạch Tuyết Dị Âm" during the Qing Dynasty.

Clock (铜壶) originates from the idiom dong zhi zhi zhi (铜壶滴漏) in the poem Ke ming da chun by Wen Tingjun of the Tang Dynasty - a phrase used to refer to a type of "bronze kettle containing dripping water to tell the time", synonymous with the idiom dong zhi zhi (铜壶刻漏).

Originally, the word "clock " was used to refer to a type of "water clock", which used flowing water to calculate time, according to a calculation called "luohu" (漏壶) or "keiluohu" (刻漏壶). This method of calculating time was earliest recorded in Zhouli (周礼). Initially, there were only 2 pots (or vases, basins) and later increased to 4 or 5 pots, water dripped from the upper pot to the lower pot; the water level caused the arrow to rise to indicate the scale (ie time). In the "Guanshu Keluotu" (1135) by Wang Puchu of the Song Dynasty and "Luc Kinhtu" (1155) by Yang Jun of the Song Dynasty, water clocks were shown in the shape of lotus vases.

In short, clock is a word of Chinese origin, introduced to our country around the Tang Dynasty. The ancients called "water clock" " thuy chung" (水钟). Nowadays, Vietnamese people use the word "clock" to refer to a time measuring device, while the Chinese call it "time chung" (时钟, shízhōng), and the Japanese call it "time log" (時計, tokei). For the Japanese, a clock (銅壺, dōko) is often understood as a bronze vessel similar to a kamado (かまど), mainly used to heat sake.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/lat-leo-chu-nghia-vi-sao-goi-la-dong-ho-185250905222127085.htm