禾 (hé) — (bound form) standing grain, especially rice; cereal crops

Definition

禾 is a bound form used only in technical or literary terms about grain and grasses (e.g. 禾苗 'grain seedlings', 禾本科 'the grass family'). Learners will not use 禾 on its own.

bound form
standing grainespecially ricecereal crops
Easily confused

Examples

  • ，。
    Chūn tiān dào le, tián lǐ de hé miáo cháng dé hěn hǎo.
    Spring has come, and the grain seedlings in the fields are growing well.
  • ，禾。
    Zhí wù xué kè shàng, wǒ men xué xí le hé běn kē de tè zhēng.
    In botany class, we studied the characteristics of the grass family (Gramineae).
  • ，。
    Zài gǔ dài, hé miáo shì zhǔ yào de liáng shi zuò wù zhī yī.
    In ancient times, grain seedlings were one of the main food crops.

Origin

Pictograph
六书liùshū
象形xiàngxíng

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

禾 is drawn as a picture of a plant stalk, with the stalk clearer in older forms.

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