WebMar 23, 2014 · from the use cases point of view, 瓢 is used to get water only and not suitable to be appear on a table since it's too large, and 勺子 is used to get soup, 调羹 is used to get whatever food in your bowl. so typically in size 瓢 > 勺子 > 调羹, BUT, there's no limitation that you must use 勺子 to get soup, it's just the table manner.