芙蓉 (fú róng) — lotus (Nelumbo nucifera); cottonrose hibiscus (… | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

Literary/poetic word for the lotus flower (荷花) and also for the cottonrose hibiscus. In modern use, 荷花 is the everyday word for lotus.

noun

lotus (Nelumbo nucifera)cottonrose hibiscus (Hibiscus mutabilis)

Measure word · 朵

Examples

芙蓉。
Chí táng lǐ kāi mǎn le fú róng.
The pond is full of blooming lotus.
芙蓉。
Qiū tiān de fú róng huā kāi dé tè bié piào liang.
The cottonrose hibiscus flowers bloom especially beautifully in autumn.
芙蓉。
Zhè fú huà shàng de fú róng xǔ xǔ rú shēng.
The lotus in this painting is lifelike.

Origin

Single-morpheme word

构词法gòucífǎ

联绵liánmiánBound pair

Two characters that only ever appear together, spelling one ancient two-syllable word.

In 芙蓉, 芙 and 蓉 carry no separate meanings; together they name a lotus or hibiscus.

Sound-only characters

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

夫

Same sound today

芙 combines 艸 (grass) and 夫; 夫 gives the sound.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

艹容蓉

Meaning part形符xíngfú

艹Written in full as艸cǎo

Sound part声符shēngfú

容

Same sound today

蓉 has 艹, the plant part, to show it is a plant, and 容 to give its sound.

Appears in

Plants & Flowers

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