种菜 (zhòng cài) — to plant vegetables, to grow vegetables

Definition

种菜 (zhòng cài) is the everyday verb meaning to plant/grow vegetables — a set phrase combining 种 ('to plant, to grow') with 菜 ('vegetables'). Here 种 is read zhòng (not zhǒng, 'kind/type'), as in 种植.

verb
to plant vegetablesto grow vegetables

Examples

  • 种菜。
    Tā zài hòu yuàn zhòng cài.
    He plants vegetables in the backyard.
  • ，。
    Tā zhǒng le sān nián de cài, shōu huò hěn duō.
    He planted vegetables for three years and harvested a lot.
  • 种菜，。
    Wǒ men chūn tiān zhòng cài, qiū tiān chī.
    We plant vegetables in spring and eat them in autumn.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

种zhǒngplant
菜càivegetable

种 means to plant, and 菜 is what is planted.

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
禾禾hérice
Sound part声符shēngfú
中
中zhōng种zhǒng
Same sound today

种 pairs 禾, which shows rice or grain and fits meanings like plant and seed, with 中, which gives its sound.

Open 种 →

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
采
采cǎi菜cài
Same sound today

菜 has 艹 (grass/plants) on top and 采 below; the top part shows it is a plant, while 采 gives the sound.

Open 菜 →

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