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山芋 (shān yù) — yam (Dioscorea polystachya) (regional); sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) (regional)

Definition

A regional, mostly northern Chinese food word that can mean either 'yam' or 'sweet potato' depending on the speaker — example 3 in this row notes it usually means sweet potato (红薯) in the north. Treat it as a spoken, everyday alternative to 红薯 / 番薯.

noun
yam (Dioscorea polystachya) (regional)sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) (regional)
Measure word · 块

Examples

  • 山芋，。
    Zhè ge shān yù hěn hǎo chī, shì wǒ mā ma zhǒng de.
    This yam is very tasty; my mother grew it.
  • 山芋？
    Nǐ xǐ huan chī shān yù zuò de cài ma?
    Do you like dishes made with sweet potato / yam?
  • ，山芋。
    Zài běi fāng, shān yù cháng cháng shì zhǐ hóng shǔ.
    In the north, 'shānyù' usually means sweet potato.

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.

山shānmountain
芋yùtaro

Mountain taro names a yam or sweet potato grown like a tuber.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

山 shows three mountain peaks side by side.

Open 山 →

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; plant
Sound part声符shēngfú
于
于yú芋yù
Same sound today

In 芋, 艸 marks a plant, and 于 gives the sound, to name taro.

Open 芋 →
Appears in
Vegetables

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