About
The character 粒 is a phono-semantic compound meaning a small, hard particle, such as a grain of rice or sand. Its left side, the semantic radical 米 (mǐ, rice), links it to cereals and granular objects. Its right side, the phonetic component 立 (lì, to stand), provides the pronunciation without adding to the core meaning. Originally focused on agricultural products, 粒 later broadened to serve as a classifier for tiny, round items like seeds, pills, and beads, and even for abstract particles in physics.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
桌子上有一粒米。
他捡起一粒沙子。
这些颗粒很小。
一粒种子能长成大树。
空气中充满灰尘颗粒。
每粒药丸都必须吞下。
量子物理研究微观粒子。
这种材料由纳米颗粒构成。