槟榔 (bīng lang) — betel palm (Areca catechu); betel nut (chewed as a mild stimulant)

Definition

槟榔 refers to both the betel palm tree and its nut, commonly chewed in southern China and Southeast Asia. Note the neutral tone on 榔 (bīng láng) — easy to misread as 阳 (yáng).

noun
betel palm (Areca catechu)betel nut (chewed as a mild stimulant)
Measure word · 颗

Examples

  • 槟榔。
    Tā xǐ huan jiáo bīng lang.
    He likes to chew betel nut.
  • 槟榔。
    bīng lang Zài rè dài dì qū hěn cháng jiàn.
    Betel palm is very common in tropical areas.
  • 槟榔。
    Cháng qī jiáo bīng lang duì yá chǐ bù hǎo.
    Long-term betel nut chewing is bad for teeth.

Origin

Single-morpheme word
构词法gòucífǎ
联绵liánmiánBound pair

Two characters that only ever appear together, spelling one ancient two-syllable word.

槟bīn
榔láng

The characters carry no meaning of their own here; only 槟榔 names the betel palm.

Sound-only characters

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 檳; 槟 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
木木mù
Sound part声符shēngfú
賓
賓bīn檳bīn
Same sound today

The traditional form 檳 pairs 木, a tree, with 賓 to give the sound; the simplified 槟 is a later shorthand.

Open 槟 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

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