莲子 (lián zǐ) — lotus seed | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

lotus seed

Measure word · 颗

Examples

莲子。
lián zǐ Kě yǐ yòng lái zuò tián tāng.
Lotus seeds can be used to make sweet soup.
莲子。
Wǒ mǎi le yì bāo gān lián zǐ.
I bought a bag of dried lotus seeds.
莲子。
Zhè zhǒng lián zǐ shì nán fāng tè chǎn.
This kind of lotus seed is a specialty of the south.

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.

莲 names the lotus plant and 子 the seed, so 莲子 is the seed of a lotus.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 蓮; 莲 is its simplified writing.

艹連蓮

Meaning part形符xíngfú

艹Written in full as艸cǎo

Sound part声符shēngfú

連

連lián蓮lián

Same sound today

The traditional form 蓮 puts the plant mark 艹 above 連, which gives the sound. The simplified 莲 is a later shorthand.

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

子 is drawn as a baby with a large head, arms stretched out, and legs wrapped in a blanket.

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 7-9 Food (General)Plants & Flowers

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