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甘露 (gān lòu) — sweet dew (poetic/auspicious nectar); (TCM) manna; a sweet medicinal substance; Chinese artichoke (a root vegetable, Stachys affinis)

Definition

A literary/poetic word: literally 'sweet dew,' used figuratively for a heavenly nectar or a precious, life-giving liquid. In TCM it refers to a sweet medicinal substance; the same name also denotes the root vegetable Chinese artichoke (草石蚕).

noun
sweet dew (poetic/auspicious nectar)(TCM) mannaa sweet medicinal substanceChinese artichoke (a root vegetable, Stachys affinis)

Examples

  • ，甘露。
    Chuán shuō zhōng, gān lòu shì tiān shàng shén xiān yǐn yòng de tián měi lù shuǐ.
    According to legend, sweet dew is the delicious nectar drunk by immortals in heaven.
  • 甘露，。
    Zhōng yī rèn wéi gān lòu kě yǐ qīng rè jiě dú, zhì liáo yān hóu zhǒng tòng.
    Traditional Chinese medicine believes that manna can clear heat and detoxify, treating sore throats.
  • 甘露，。
    Zhè dào liáng bàn gān lòu qīng cuì shuǎng kǒu, fēi cháng kāi wèi.
    This cold Chinese artichoke salad is crisp and refreshing, very appetizing.

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.

甘gānsweet
露lùdew

甘 means sweet and 露 means dew, so the meaning is sweet dew or manna.

Characters in this word

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

甘 originally drew an open mouth with something sweet inside it. This gives the sense of sweet or pleasant.

Open 甘 →

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
雨雨yǔ
Sound part声符shēngfú
路
路lù露lù
Same sound today

露 pairs 雨, a rain-related meaning part, with 路, a sound part.

Open 露 →
Appears in
Mythology & FolkloreTraditional Medicine & Philosophy

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