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芝麻 (zhī ma) — sesame (seed)

Definition

芝麻 (zhīma) means 'sesame seed' — small edible seed used in 芝麻酱/油 and as a size metaphor (芝麻大事 = trivial matter). Distinct from 麻, which is the hemp plant or a numbing/coarse texture; 芝麻 always refers to the seed itself.

noun
sesame (seed)
Measure word · 颗

Examples

  • 。
    zhī ma Jiàng bàn miàn hěn hǎo chī.
    Sesame paste mixed noodles are delicious.
  • 芝麻。
    Bié wèi zhī ma dà de xiǎo shì shēng qì.
    Don't get angry over a trivial matter as small as a sesame seed.
  • 。
    zhī ma Yóu kě yǐ hù fà.
    Sesame oil can be used for hair care.

Origin

Single-morpheme word
构词法gòucífǎ
联绵liánmiánBound pair

Two characters that only ever appear together, spelling one ancient two-syllable word.

芝zhī
麻má

The characters 芝 and 麻 carry no meaning of their own here; together they name the sesame plant.

Sound-only characters

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
艹Written in full as艸cǎograss
Sound part声符shēngfú
之
之zhī芝⁰zhī
Same sound today

芝 is built from 艹, a grass form, plus 之 as a sound part; it names a type of plant.

Open 芝 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

麻 combines 厂 and 𣏟 to represent hemp leaves.

Open 麻 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Grains & Staples

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