TongTong
Sign in

无花果 (wú huā guǒ) — fig

Definition

noun
fig
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 无花果。
    Wǒ cóng lái méi chī guò wú huā guǒ.
    I have never eaten a fig.
  • 无花果。
    wú huā guǒ Shì yì zhǒng hěn tián de shuǐ guǒ.
    Figs are a very sweet fruit.
  • 无花果。
    Chāo shì lǐ mài xīn xiān de wú huā guǒ.
    The supermarket sells fresh figs.

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.

无花without flowers
无wúwithout花huāflower
动宾Verb + object
果guǒfruit

无 means without, 花 means flower, and 果 means fruit; together they name a fruit that seems to have no flowers.

Characters in this word

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 無; 无 is its simplified writing.

For the simplified 无, the story is about 無. 無 drew a person dancing with ox tails held in both hands to pray for rain, then was borrowed for 'have no', so the picture does not explain that meaning.

Open 无 →

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
艹Written in full as艸cǎograss; plant
Sound part声符shēngfú
化
化huà花
Same sound today

花 pairs 艹 (grass; plant) with 化, which gives the sound.

Open 花 →

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

果 originally drew fruits hanging on a tree.

Open 果 →
Appears in
Fruits

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