莎草 (suō cǎo) — sedge, nut grass (plant of the genus Cyperus in…

Definition

noun

sedgenut grass (plant of the genus Cyperus in the family Cyperaceae)

Measure word · 棵

莎草。
Zài hé biān shēng zhǎng zhe xǔ duō suō cǎo.
Many sedges grow by the riverbank.
莎草。
suō cǎo Shì yì zhǒng cháng jiàn de shuǐ shēng zhí wù.
The sedge is a common aquatic plant.
莎草。
Gǔ dài rén yòng suō cǎo lái zuò yào cái.
Ancient people used sedge as medicinal material.

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.

莎 names the plant and 草 marks it as a grass-like one.

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

艸艸cǎograss

Sound part声符shēngfú

沙

Same sound today

莎 pairs 艸, a grass component, with 沙, which supplies its sound.

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

艹早草

Meaning part形符xíngfú

艹Written in full as艸cǎograss; plant

Sound part声符shēngfú

早

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

草 pairs 艹 (grass; plant) with 早, which gives the sound. The form originally referred to another word and was later used for the grass sense.