五谷 (wǔ gǔ) — the five staple grains (rice, two kinds of millet, wheat, beans); food crops; all grains

Definition

A classical/traditional term for the staple food crops that sustain a society — used today mostly in set phrases like 五谷丰登 ('bumper harvest').

noun
the five staple grains (rice, two kinds of millet, wheat, beans)food cropsall grains

Examples

  • 五谷，。
    Jīn nián wǔ gǔ fēng dēng, nóng mín hěn gāo xìng.
    This year's harvest of the five grains is abundant, and the farmers are very happy.
  • 五谷。
    wǔ gǔ Shì zhōng guó rén chuán tǒng yǐn shí de jī chǔ.
    The five grains are the foundation of traditional Chinese cuisine.
  • 五谷。
    Zhè piàn tǔ dì shì hé zhòng zhí wǔ gǔ.
    This land is suitable for growing food crops.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

五wǔfive
谷gǔgrain

五 means five and 谷 means grain, naming the five staple grains.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

An older form had a crossed mark between a top bar and a bottom bar. The modern 五 keeps those bars, while the original idea is uncertain.

Open 五 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The shape of 谷 comes from a picture of a valley: an opening between two near-parallel lines for mountain walls.

Open 谷 →

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.