青草 (qīng cǎo) — green grass | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

green grass

Measure word · 棵

，青草。
Chūn tiān lái le, shān pō shàng zhǎng mǎn le qīng cǎo.
Spring has come, and the hillside is covered with green grass.
。
Niú qún zài qīng cǎo dì shàng yōu xián de chī cǎo.
The herd of cattle is leisurely grazing on the green grass.
青草。
Yǔ hòu de qīng cǎo sàn fā chū qīng xīn de qì xī.
After the rain, the green grass gives off a fresh scent.

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.

青 gives the color and 草 the plant, together naming green grass.

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.

An early form of 青 combined 生 and 井, both used for sound; the modern form has changed.

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

艹早草

Meaning part形符xíngfú

艹Written in full as艸cǎograss; plant

Sound part声符shēngfú

早

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

草 pairs 艹 (grass; plant) with 早, which gives the sound. The form originally referred to another word and was later used for the grass sense.

Appears in