Anvil, a standardized Grade 2 character in modern Chinese, was first seen in the era of the Chu lineage of janpai, and is a morpheme in the Six Books. The basic meaning of anvil is a utensil that is padded underneath when pounding, smashing or cutting something, such as an anvil board or anvil. Derived meaning for the shape and function like anvil, such as anvil bone, anvil.

In ancient texts, anvil is also often used as a noun to indicate the sound of pounding clothes, such as the anvil of a distant village in the bright moonlight. --Tang Liu Cang, "Wistfulness for Friends at the Mountain Temple in Autumn".