porcelain
Loading your saved state.
porcelain
A fine, white, and hard ceramic material that can be translucent and is used to make tableware, art objects, or insulators.
Diese Vase ist aus echtem Meißner Porzellan.
This vase is made of genuine Meissen porcelain.
porcelain
Objects made of porcelain, especially tableware such as plates, cups, and bowls.
Für die Feier holte sie das gute Porzellan aus dem Schrank.
For the celebration, she took the good porcelain out of the cupboard.
to break porcelain
To cause serious damage in a delicate situation through clumsy or inconsiderate behavior, especially in interpersonal or diplomatic contexts.
Mit seiner unbedachten Äußerung hat er bei den Verhandlungen viel Porzellan zerschlagen.
With his careless remark, he broke a lot of porcelain during the negotiations.
'Porzellan' (porcelain) is almost always used as an uncountable noun, both for the material and for the tableware. As a rule, there is no plural form.
Vorsicht, die Tasse ist aus Porzellan und sehr zerbrechlich.
Careful, the cup is made of porcelain and is very fragile.
The idiom 'Porzellan zerschlagen' (to break porcelain) means to cause serious damage in a relationship or situation through clumsy behavior. The meaning is purely metaphorical.
Mit seiner Kritik hat er bei den Geschäftspartnern viel Porzellan zerschlagen.
With his criticism, he broke a lot of porcelain with the business partners.
The phrase 'das gute Porzellan' (the good porcelain) refers to a special, high-quality set of tableware that is used only on festive occasions, such as holidays, or for important guests.
An Weihnachten essen wir immer vom guten Porzellan.
At Christmas, we always eat from the good porcelain.
When 'Porzellan' (porcelain) is used with the preposition 'aus' (made of/from), it usually refers to the material. When it refers to the tableware, it often appears as an object or with an adjective like 'gut' (good) or 'alt' (old).
Diese Figur ist aus wertvollem Porzellan gefertigt.
This figure is made of valuable porcelain.
ceramics
Keramik is the general term for fired, non-metallic materials. Porzellan is a specific, fine, white, and hard type of ceramic. So Keramik is factually possible for a cup, while Porzellan describes the material more precisely.
Die Verkäuferin erklärt genauer, dass die Tasse aus feinem Porzellan besteht.
The saleswoman explains more precisely that the cup is made of fine porcelain.
Die Verkäuferin erklärt nur allgemein, dass die Tasse aus Keramik besteht.
The saleswoman only explains in general that the cup is made of ceramic.
