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常春藤 (cháng chūn téng) — ivy (the climbing plant, especially Japanese creeper or Boston ivy); short for the Ivy League (常春藤联盟)

Definition

Literally 'evergreen vine', the name of the ivy plant. Also used as a short form for the Ivy League (常春藤联盟) when referring to member schools.

noun
ivy (the climbing plant, especially Japanese creeper or Boston ivy)short for the Ivy League (常春藤联盟)
Measure word · 棵

Examples

  • 常春藤。
    Qiáng shàng pá mǎn le cháng chūn téng.
    The wall is covered with ivy.
  • 常春藤，。
    Tā kǎo shàng le cháng chūn téng, quán jiā dōu hěn gāo xìng.
    He got into an Ivy League school, and the whole family is very happy.
  • 常春藤。
    Zhè zhǒng cháng chūn téng zài qiū tiān huì biàn hóng.
    This kind of ivy turns red in autumn.

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.

常春ever-spring
常chángever春chūnspring
偏正Modifier + head
藤téngvine

常春 suggests always spring, and 藤 is a vine, so the word names a plant that stays green like spring.

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
巾巾jīncloth
Sound part声符shēngfú
尚
尚shàng常cháng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

常 pairs 巾, a cloth, with 尚 as a sound part; the form originally referred to a lower garment.

Open 常 →

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
艸艸cǎograss
日日rìsun
Sound part声符shēngfú
屯
屯tún春chūn
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

春 combines 艸 (grass) and 日 (sun) with 屯, which supplies the sound and is described as a swollen sprout.

Open 春 →

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
艸艸cǎograss
Sound part声符shēngfú
滕
滕téng藤téng
Same sound today

藤 combines 艸 (grass) and 滕, which gives the sound, to write a type of plant.

Open 藤 →
Appears in
Plants & Flowers

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