洋槐 (yáng huái) — locust tree (Robinia pseudoacacia)

Definition

noun
locust tree (Robinia pseudoacacia)
Measure word · 棵

Examples

  • ,洋槐。
    Chūn tiān de shí hou, yáng huái kāi mǎn le bái sè de huā.
    In spring, the locust tree is full of white flowers.
  • 洋槐。
    Zhè kē yáng huái yǐ jīng yǒu èr shí duō nián le.
    This locust tree is already over twenty years old.
  • 洋槐。
    Wǒ xǐ huan yáng huái de xiāng wèi.
    I like the fragrance of the locust tree.

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.

洋yángforeign
槐huáilocust

“洋” marks it as foreign and “槐” names the locust tree.

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
氵Written in full as水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
羊
羊yáng洋yáng
Same sound today

洋 pairs 氵, the water part, with 羊 to give its sound.

Open 洋 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 槐 →

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