芥 (gài) — (bound form) used in 芥蓝 (Chinese broccoli)
Definition
芥 (gài) is a bound form used only in 芥蓝 (Chinese broccoli). It has no independent meaning — the word for 'mustard' is 芥末 (jièmo).
bound form
used in 芥蓝 (Chinese broccoli)
Easily confused
- 介jièlook-aliketo be situated between; to interpose (bound form, as in 介入, 介绍)
- 盖gàisound-alike(noun) lid, cover, top
- 苍cānglook-alike(bound form) dark green, blue, gray, or ashy (in literary compounds)
- 钙gàisound-alikecalcium
- 荟huìlook-alike(bound form) luxuriant growth (of plants)
- 概gàisound-alike(bound form) general; approximate (used in 大概, 概况, etc.)
Examples
- 芥，。Wǒ mǎi le xiē gài lán, zhǔn bèi qīng chǎo.I bought some Chinese broccoli, planning to simply stir-fry it.
- 芥。gài Lán shì yì zhǒng hěn jiàn kāng de shū cài.Chinese broccoli is a very healthy vegetable.
- 芥。Zhè dào gài lán chǎo dé zhèng hǎo.This dish of Chinese broccoli is stir-fried just right.
Origin
Sound + meaning六书liùshū
形声xíngshēngMost 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
艸艸cǎograss, plant
芥 uses 艸 (grass, plant) to show it is a type of plant, with 介 pointing to its sound.
Appears in
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