TongTong
Sign in

杂草 (zá cǎo) — weeds

Definition

noun
weeds
Measure word · 棵

Examples

  • 杂草。
    Huā yuán lǐ zhǎng mǎn le zá cǎo.
    The garden is overgrown with weeds.
  • 杂草。
    Nóng mín zhèng zài qīng chú tián lǐ de zá cǎo.
    The farmer is clearing the weeds from the field.
  • 杂草。
    Zhè xiē zá cǎo cháng dé bǐ zhuāng jia hái kuài.
    These weeds grow even faster than the crops.

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.

杂zámixed
草cǎograss

杂 'mixed' describes 草 'grass', giving unwanted mixed grass.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 雜; 杂 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
衣衣yī
Sound part声符shēngfú
集
集jí雜zá
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 雜 pairs 衣 (clothes) with 集 as a sound part, originally referring to mixed colours, perhaps in dyed clothes; the simplified 杂 is a later shorthand.

Open 杂 →

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
早
早zǎo草cǎo
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.

Open 草 →
Appears in
Plants & Flowers

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.