木兰 (Mù lán) — magnolia (tree or flower); Mulan (the legendary… | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

Two unrelated meanings share this word: the magnolia tree/flower (botanical noun, measure word 棵) and Mulan, the legendary woman warrior from the Ballad of Mulan.

noun

magnolia (tree or flower)Mulan (the legendary woman warrior)

Measure word · 棵

Examples

，木兰。
Chūn tiān dào le, Mù lán kāi huā le.
Spring has arrived, and the magnolia is blooming.
木兰。
Mù lán Cóng jūn de gù shi zài zhōng guó jiā yù hù xiǎo.
The story of Mulan joining the army is known in every household in China.
木兰。
Tā xiàng Mù lán yí yàng yǒng gǎn.
She is as brave as Mulan.

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.

木 (tree) tells what kind of 兰 (orchid) it is, naming the magnolia tree.

Characters in this word

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

木 is drawn as a tree, with branches above and roots below.

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 蘭; 兰 is its simplified writing.

艹闌蘭

Meaning part形符xíngfú

艹Written in full as艸cǎoplant

Sound part声符shēngfú

闌

闌lán蘭lán

Same sound today

In the traditional form 蘭, 艹 marks it as a plant and 闌 stands for the sound; the simplified 兰 is a later shorthand, not the original parts.

Appears in

Mythology & Folklore Plants & Flowers

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