花木兰 (Huā Mù lán) — Mulan (legendary Chinese female warrior) | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

Proper name: the legendary Chinese heroine who disguised herself as a man to take her father's place in the army, the subject of the famous Ballad of Mulan. Refer to her by surname-and-given-name (花木兰), not just 木兰 alone, in formal contexts.

noun

Mulan (legendary Chinese female warrior)

Examples

花木兰。
Huā Mù lán De gù shi zài zhōng guó jiā yù hù xiǎo.
The story of Mulan is well-known in China.
花木兰。
Xǔ duō rén dōu kàn guò dí shì ní de dòng huà diàn yǐng Huā Mù lán.
Many people have seen Disney's animated film Mulan.
花木兰。
Huā Mù lán Tì fù cóng jūn de gù shi gǎn dòng le wú shù rén.
The story of Mulan taking her father's place in the army has moved countless people.

Origin

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.

艹化花

Meaning part形符xíngfú

艹Written in full as艸cǎograss; plant

Sound part声符shēngfú

化

Same sound today

花 pairs 艹 (grass; plant) with 化, which gives the sound.

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

木 is drawn as a tree, with branches above and roots below.

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 蘭; 兰 is its simplified writing.

艹闌蘭

Meaning part形符xíngfú

艹Written in full as艸cǎoplant

Sound part声符shēngfú

闌

闌lán蘭lán

Same sound today

In the traditional form 蘭, 艹 marks it as a plant and 闌 stands for the sound; the simplified 兰 is a later shorthand, not the original parts.

Appears in

Chinese Culture & Customs Mythology & Folklore

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