Definitions

an unidentified fragrant plant mentioned in the Songs of Chu 楚辭|楚辞[chǔ cí]; used in 芭蕉[bā jiāo]; used in transliteration

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. represents the meaning and represents the sound.

Semantic: Phonetic:

About

The character (bā) is a botanical term for broad-leafed plants, especially the Japanese banana and certain fragrant herbs. Structurally, it is a phono-semantic compound: the grass radical (cǎo) sits on top, functioning as the semantic indicator that places it in the plant category, while the component (bā) below is a phonetic marker that gives the sound bā without adding meaning. Because rarely appears on its own, it primarily serves as a building block in compounds. These include words for large-leaved tropical plants (like 芭蕉 bājiāo), palm-leaf fans (芭扇 bāshàn), and phonetic loans for foreign terms, such as 芭蕾 (bālěi) for 'ballet'.

Example Sentences Hide

蕉是一种植物。

Bā jiāo shì yī zhǒng zhí wù.

Plantain is a type of plant.

妹妹喜欢蕾舞。

Mèi mei xǐ huān bā lěi wǔ.

Younger sister likes ballet.

这个乐很甜。

Zhè ge bā lè hěn tián.

This guava is very sweet.

比娃娃很漂亮。

Bā bǐ wá wa hěn piào liang.

Barbie dolls are very pretty.

我们在院子里种了蕉。

Wǒ men zài yuàn zi lǐ zhòng le bā jiāo.

We planted plantains in the yard.

她每天练习蕾舞。

Tā měi tiān liàn xí bā lěi wǔ.

She practices ballet every day.

乐的营养价值很高。

Bā lè de yíng yǎng jià zhí hěn gāo.

Guavas have high nutritional value.

如果下雨,蕉叶子会滴水。

Rú guǒ xià yǔ, bā jiāo yè zi huì dī shuǐ.

If it rains, plantain leaves will drip water.