球茎 (qiú jīng) — corm (a short, swollen underground plant stem t… | tongtong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

corm (a short, swollen underground plant stem that stores nutrients)

Measure word · 个

Examples

球茎。
Zhè zhǒng zhí wù de qiú jīng kě yǐ shí yòng.
The corm of this plant is edible.
球茎。
Yù tou de qiú jīng fù hán diàn fěn.
The corm of taro is rich in starch.
球茎。
Wā qiú jīng shí yào zhù yì bié shāng dào gēn xì.
When digging up corms, be careful not to damage the root system.

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.

球 gives the rounded shape and 茎 the plant stem, together naming a swollen underground stem.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

玉玉yùjade

Sound part声符shēngfú

求

求qiú球qiú

Same sound today

球 is built from 玉, meaning jade, and 求, which gives the sound.

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 莖; 茎 is its simplified writing.

艹巠莖

Meaning part形符xíngfú

艹Written in full as艸cǎo

Sound part声符shēngfú

巠

巠jīng莖jīng

Same sound today

The traditional form 莖 pairs 艹 (plants) with 巠, which gives the sound; the simplified 茎 is a later shorthand.

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