香花 (xiāng huā) — fragrant flower; (figurative, political) artistic or cultural work deemed beneficial to the masses

Definition

Literally 'fragrant flower'. In literary/political criticism, it pairs with 毒草 ('poisonous weed') to label works seen as wholesome vs. harmful to the masses.

noun
fragrant flower(figurative, political) artistic or cultural work deemed beneficial to the masses
Measure word · 朵

Examples

  • 香花。
    Huā yuán lǐ zhǒng mǎn le gè zhǒng xiāng huā.
    The garden is full of all kinds of fragrant flowers.
  • 香花。
    Zhè bù xiǎo shuō bèi píng lùn jiā chēng wéi xiāng huā.
    This novel was called a 'fragrant flower' by critics.
  • ，香花。
    Zài wén yì tǎo lùn zhōng, rén men cháng yòng xiāng huā hé dú cǎo lái qū fēn zuò pǐn de hǎo huài.
    In literary discussions, people often use 'fragrant flowers' and 'poisonous weeds' to distinguish good works from bad.

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.

香xiāngfragrant
花huāflower

'香' describes the scent of '花', a fragrant flower.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

香's early form paired 黍 (glutinous millet) with 口 (mouth), perhaps showing millet drink being taken in or offered.

Open 香 →

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 →

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