欧芹 (ōu qín) — parsley | tongtong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

parsley

Measure word · 棵

欧芹。
Zhè dào cài xū yào jiā yì xiē ōu qín tí wèi.
This dish needs some parsley to enhance the flavor.
欧芹。
Wǒ zài huā yuán lǐ zhǒng le yì pái ōu qín.
I planted a row of parsley in the garden.
欧芹。
Xīn xiān de ōu qín bǐ gān de hǎo chī duō le.
Fresh parsley tastes much better than dried.

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.

欧ōuEuropean

「欧」European and「芹」celery together name a parsley-like herb.

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 歐; 欧 is its simplified writing.

區欠歐

Meaning part形符xíngfú

欠欠qiànto yawn; to exhale

Sound part声符shēngfú

區

區qū歐Ōu

Same sound today

The traditional form 歐 pairs 區 as a sound with 欠 (to yawn; to exhale), and was originally written for vomiting; simplified 欧 is a later shorthand.

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

艹斤芹

Meaning part形符xíngfú

艹Written in full as艸cǎo

Sound part声符shēngfú

斤

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

芹 has 艹 on top to show it is a plant, and 斤 below to give the sound.