Definitions
(noun)
melon; gourd; squash
Etymology
Depicts a melon hanging from a vine.
About
The character 瓜 began as a pictogram depicting a melon or gourd suspended from its vine, with its initial design visually capturing the fruit and its trailing stems. Its structure gradually simplified into the contemporary shape, which retains a stylized suggestion of the original image through its arrangement of strokes. The core meaning of melon has remained constant, yet the character's application broadened to form names for various cucurbit plants, such as watermelon and cucumber. In a semantic extension, 瓜 also adopted a figurative role in terms like 傻瓜, where it denotes foolishness, reflecting a move from literal to metaphorical usage over time.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
我喜欢吃西瓜。
这个西瓜很甜。
妈妈买了黄瓜和南瓜。
夏天我们常吃西瓜解渴。
他把西瓜切成小块分享。
瓜田里长满了绿色的藤蔓。
虽然黄瓜是蔬菜，但常被当水果吃。
由于气候适宜，今年的瓜类作物丰收了。