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名花 (míng huā) — famous flower; famous beauty (especially a courtesan in historical contexts)

Definition

Literary term with two distinct senses: literally a 'famous flower' (an admired, named bloom), and figuratively a 'famous beauty' — especially a celebrated courtesan in classical Chinese poetry.

noun
famous flowerfamous beauty (especially a courtesan in historical contexts)
Measure word · 朵

Examples

  • 名花，。
    Huā yuán lǐ zhǒng zhe gè zhǒng míng huā, xī yǐn le xǔ duō yóu kè.
    The garden is planted with all kinds of famous flowers, attracting many visitors.
  • ，名花，。
    Zài gǔ dài, tā bèi chēng wéi míng huā, cái yì chū zhòng.
    In ancient times, she was called a famous beauty, outstanding in talent and art.
  • 名花，。
    Zhè shǒu shī zàn měi le yí wèi míng huā, lìng rén shén wǎng.
    This poem praises a famous beauty, evoking admiration.

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.

名míngfamous
花huāflower

The famous part describes the flower part, yielding a celebrated flower or beauty.

Characters in this word

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

名 puts 夕 (crescent moon) above 口 (mouth), showing a name spoken in the dark.

Open 名 →

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 →
Appears in
Plants & Flowers

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