栀子花 (zhī zi huā) — Cape jasmine flower; gardenia | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

Cape jasmine flowergardenia

Measure word · 朵

Examples

，栀子花。
Xià tiān de shí hou, zhī zi huā kāi dé hěn měi.
In summer, gardenias bloom beautifully.
栀子花。
Zhè pén zhī zi huā de xiāng wèi chōng mǎn le zhěng gè fáng jiān.
The fragrance of this potted gardenia fills the whole room.
栀子花，。
Tā zuì xǐ huan zhī zi huā, yīn wèi tā de huā xiāng hěn qīng xīn.
She likes gardenias the most because their floral scent is very fresh.

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.

栀子gardenia

栀zhīgardenia子zǐnoun ending

后缀Suffix

栀子 names the gardenia plant, and 花 specifies that this is its flower.

Characters in this word

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

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

子 is drawn as a baby with a large head, arms stretched out, and legs wrapped in a blanket.

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

艹化花

Meaning part形符xíngfú

艹Written in full as艸cǎograss; plant

Sound part声符shēngfú

化

Same sound today

花 pairs 艹 (grass; plant) with 化, which gives the sound.

Appears in

Plants & Flowers

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