地梨 (dì lí) — wild plant with an underground stem resembling a water chestnut; (dialectal) water chestnut

Definition

地梨 is a dialectal/regional name for 荸荠 (water chestnut) — often a wild variety with a thicker skin, sold in southern markets. Learners should know it refers to the same edible corm as the standard word 荸荠.

noun
wild plant with an underground stem resembling a water chestnut(dialectal) water chestnut
Measure word · 个
Easily confused

Examples

  • 地梨。
    Zhè zhǒng dì lí zhǐ yǒu zài nán fāng cái néng zhǎo dào.
    This type of water chestnut plants can only be found in the south.
  • 地梨，。
    Tā mǎi le sān jīn dì lí, zhǔn bèi zuò liáng bàn cài.
    He bought three jin of water chestnuts and plans to make a cold dish.
  • 地梨荸荠。
    Nǎi nai shuō dì lí de pí bǐ pǔ tōng bí qi gèng hòu.
    Grandma says the skin of this wild water chestnut is thicker than ordinary water chestnuts.

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.

地dìearth
梨lípear

地 gives earth or underground, and 梨 gives pear, so it names a pear-like underground plant.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
土土tǔearth
Sound part声符shēngfú
也
也yě地dì
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

地 is built from 土 (earth) and 也, which gives its sound.

Open 地 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
木木mù
Sound part声符shēngfú
利
利lì梨lí
Same sound today

梨 places 利 on top of 木, a tree, with 木 showing the tree sense and 利 giving the sound.

Open 梨 →

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