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橡树 (xiàng shù) — oak tree; rubber tree

Definition

A single word that covers both 'oak tree' and 'rubber tree' — the same character 橡 (oak/rubber) plus 树 (tree). In context, 橡胶 is the tip-off: oak (hard wood) vs rubber tree (produces 橡胶/latex).

noun
oak treerubber tree
Measure word · 棵

Examples

  • 橡树。
    Zhè kē xiàng shù yǐ jīng yǒu sān bǎi nián de lì shǐ le.
    This oak tree is already 300 years old.
  • 橡树。
    Nán fāng de xiàng shù kě yǐ shēng chǎn xiàng jiāo.
    Southern rubber trees can produce rubber.
  • 橡树，。
    xiàng shù De mù cái fēi cháng jiān yìng, shì hé zuò jiā jù.
    Oak wood is very hard and suitable for making furniture.

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.

橡xiàngrubber or oak
树shùtree

橡 denotes the rubber or oak tree, and 树 marks it as a tree.

Characters in this word

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 橡 →

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.

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.

Open 树 →
Appears in
Trees & Forest

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