树苗 (shù miáo) — sapling | tongtong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

sapling

Measure word · 棵

树苗。
Zhè xiē shù miáo xū yào jīng cháng jiāo shuǐ.
These saplings need to be watered often.
树苗。
Nóng mín men zhèng zài bǎ shù miáo zhǒng dào dì lǐ.
The farmers are planting saplings into the ground.
树苗。
Chūn tiān shì zhòng zhí shù miáo de zuì jiā jì jié.
Spring is the best season to plant saplings.

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.

树 is a tree and 苗 is a young plant, giving a young tree.

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 樹; 树 is its simplified writing.

木尌樹

Meaning part形符xíngfú

木木mùtree

Sound part声符shēngfú

尌

尌shù樹shù

Same sound today

Originally 尌, 'to plant a tree', was written alone; the traditional form 樹 adds 木, 'tree', to it to differentiate.

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

It is made from 艸 (grass) and 田 (field), showing plants in a field, which matches the meaning of a young plant or seedling.