扁柏 (biǎn bǎi) — Japanese cypress (Chamaecyparis)

Definition

A type of evergreen conifer (Japanese cypress) native to East Asia, valued for its durable, fragrant wood used in temples and high-quality furniture. The pinyin is biǎn, not biǎn 'flat' — the character is a phonetic component here.

noun
Japanese cypress (Chamaecyparis)
Measure word · 棵

Examples

  • 扁柏。
    Zhè kē biǎn bǎi yǐ jīng shēng zhǎng le yì bǎi nián le.
    This Japanese cypress has been growing for a hundred years.
  • 扁柏。
    Zhì zuò zhè zhǒng jiā jù cháng yòng biǎn bǎi mù.
    This kind of furniture is often made from Japanese cypress wood.
  • 扁柏。
    Rì běn yǒu hěn duō gǔ lǎo de biǎn bǎi.
    Japan has many ancient Japanese cypress trees.

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.

扁biǎnflat
柏bǎicypress

扁 suggests flat branches, and 柏 names a cypress-like tree.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

  • 戶戶hùdoor
  • 冊冊cèbamboo tablets

扁 is made from 戶 (door) and 冊 (bamboo tablets), giving the idea of inscribing on a door or of two flat, thin things.

Open 扁 →

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mùtree
Sound part声符shēngfú
白
白bái柏bǎi
Same sound today

柏 pairs 木, showing a tree, with 白, which gives the sound.

Open 柏 →

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