花菜 (huā cài) — cauliflower; Chinese milkvetch (Astragalus sinicus)

Definition

In modern Chinese, 花菜 usually means cauliflower (the everyday grocery vegetable). The 'Chinese milkvetch' sense exists in botany but is rare in everyday use; learners will almost always meet this word as cauliflower.

noun
cauliflowerChinese milkvetch (Astragalus sinicus)
Measure word · 棵

Examples

  • 花菜。
    Wǒ xǐ huan chī qīng chǎo huā cài.
    I like to eat stir-fried cauliflower.
  • 花菜，。
    Jīn tiān chāo shì de huā cài hěn xīn xiān, wǒ mǎi le yí gè.
    The cauliflower at the supermarket today is very fresh, so I bought one.
  • 花菜，。
    Zhè dào cài yòng le huā cài hé hú luó bo, yíng yǎng hěn jūn héng.
    This dish uses cauliflower and carrots, and is very balanced in nutrition.

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
菜càivegetable

The 花 flower and 菜 vegetable give a flowering vegetable.

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.

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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