花蕾 (huā lěi) — bud; flower bud | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

A flower bud — the unopened stage before the bloom. Refers specifically to buds of flowering plants; 芽 is a more general word for any bud or sprout.

noun

budflower bud

Measure word · 个

Examples

，花蕾。
Chūn tiān dào le, shù zhī shàng cháng chū le xǔ duō huā lěi.
Spring has come, and many buds have grown on the branches.
花蕾。
Zhè xiē huā lěi zài yáng guāng xià xiǎn de gé wài měi lì.
These buds look especially beautiful in the sunlight.
花蕾。
Tā xiǎo xīn dì yòng shǒu mō le mō nà ge huā lěi.
She carefully touched that bud with her hand.

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.

花 means 'flower' and 蕾 means 'bud', so the word names the bud from which a flower grows.

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.

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 7-9 Plants & Flowers

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