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花丛 (huā cóng) — (literal) a cluster of flowers, flowering shrubs; (figurative, dated) the world of debauchery; brothel

Definition

Literally 'a cluster/thicket of flowers' — a natural scene word for a dense patch of blooming shrubs. The brothel sense is archaic literary usage, rarely seen today.

noun
(literal) a cluster of flowersflowering shrubs(figurative, dated) the world of debaucherybrothel
Measure word · 丛

Examples

  • ，花丛。
    Chūn tiān lái le, huā cóng lǐ kāi mǎn le wǔ yán liù sè de huā.
    Spring has come, and the flower clusters are full of colorful flowers.
  • 花丛，。
    Tā nián qīng shí céng zài huā cóng zhōng liú lián, rú jīn yǐ gǎi xié guī zhèng.
    He used to frequent brothels in his youth, but now he has reformed.
  • 花丛。
    Hú dié zài huā cóng zhōng piān piān qǐ wǔ.
    Butterflies dance among the flower clusters.

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.

花huāflower
丛cóngcluster

花 and 丛 combine to mean a cluster of flowering shrubs.

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
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 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 叢; 丛 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
丵丵zhuó
Sound part声符shēngfú
取
取qǔ叢cóng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 叢 for 丛 combines 丵 with 取, where 取 gives the sound.

Open 丛 →
Appears in
Plants & Flowers

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