茉莉花 (mò lì huā) — jasmine (Jasminum sambac) | tongtong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

jasmine (Jasminum sambac)

Measure word · 朵

Examples

茉莉花。
Zhè pén mò lì huā kāi dé zhēn hǎo kàn.
This pot of jasmine is blooming beautifully.
。
Wǒ zuì xǐ huan hē mò lì huā chá.
I like drinking jasmine tea the most.
茉莉花，。
Yuàn zi lǐ zhǒng le hěn duō mò lì huā, xiāng qì pū bí.
Many jasmine flowers are planted in the yard, and their fragrance is overwhelming.

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.

茉莉jasmine

茉mò莉lì

The plant name 茉莉 and the flower sense of 花 give jasmine.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

艸艸cǎograss

Sound part声符shēngfú

末

Same sound today

茉 is built from 艸 (grass) plus 末, which gives its sound.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

艹利莉

Meaning part形符xíngfú

艹Written in full as艸cǎo

Sound part声符shēngfú

利

Same sound today

莉 has 艹 at the top to mark a plant, and 利 below to give its sound.

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.

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