株

zhū

木 + 朱

HSK 2.0Level 6

HSK 3.0Level 6

Definitions

zhū (noun) tree trunk; stump

zhū (noun) plant

zhū (noun) strain (biology)

zhū (verb) to involve others (in illegal activity)

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 木 represents the meaning and 朱 represents the sound. Originally written as 朱.

Semantic: 木 Phonetic: 朱

About

The character 株 is a phono-semantic compound consisting of the semantic radical 木 on the left, indicating 'tree, wood', and the phonetic component 朱 on the right, providing the sound. Originally, this character was written simply as 朱, which itself depicted a tree trunk; 木 was later added to clarify the meaning. The original sense was the trunk or the exposed root and stump of a tree remaining above ground after felling. Over time, it shifted from a concrete noun to a classifier used for counting individual plants, trees, and even bacterial or viral strains in modern usage.

Etymology Hide

Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

这株植物需要浇水。

Zhè zhū zhíwù xūyào jiāoshuǐ.

This plant needs watering.

院子里种着一株苹果树。

Yuànzi lǐ zhòngzhe yī zhū píngguǒ shù.

An apple tree is planted in the yard.

他培育了一株新的玫瑰花品种。

Tā péiyùle yī zhū xīn de méiguī huā pǐnzhǒng.

He cultivated a new variety of rose.

这些植株的生长状况很好。

Zhèxiē zhízhū de shēngzhǎng zhuàngkuàng hěn hǎo.

These plants are growing very well.

这起案件株连了许多无辜的人。

Zhè qǐ ànjiàn zhūliánle xǔduō wúgū de rén.

This case implicated many innocent people.

投资者关注这家公司的每股收益。

Tóuzī zhě guānzhù zhè jiā gōngsī de měi gǔ shōuyì.

Investors are focusing on this company's earnings per share.

他宁可株守旧规，也不愿尝试新方法。

Tā nìngkě zhūshǒu jiù guī, yě bù yuàn chángshì xīn fāngfǎ.

He would rather stick rigidly to the old rules than try new methods.

这家控股株持有多个上市公司的股份。

Zhè jiā kònggǔ zhū chíyǒu duō gè shàngshì gōngsī de gǔfèn.

This holding company owns shares in several listed companies.

Related Characters

Component: 木

Component: 朱

株