苗

miáo

田 + 艹

HSK 3.0Level 7

Definitions

miáo (noun) sprout; seedling

Miáo (noun) Hmong; Miao ethnic group

Etymology

Sprouts are plants (艹) that rise from the field (田).

About

The character 苗 is an ideogrammic compound combining the semantic radical 艹 (grass or vegetation) above 田 (a cultivated field). This structure visually depicts tender sprouts or seedlings emerging from farmland. Beyond its literal meaning of young plants, the character extends metaphorically to denote offspring, descendants, or the nascent stage of a development. It also serves as the proper name for the Miao ethnic group, primarily inhabiting southern China and parts of Southeast Asia, and is a common Chinese surname.

Etymology Hide

Bronze Late Western Zhou (~800 BC)

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Seal Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

田里的禾苗绿油油。

Tián lǐ de hémiáo lǜyóuyóu.

The seedlings in the field are lush and green.

小树苗需要多浇水。

Xiǎo shùmiáo xūyào duō jiāo shuǐ.

The young sapling needs to be watered often.

她姓苗，叫苗小艺。

Tā xìng Miáo, jiào Miáo Xiǎoyì.

Her surname is Miao, and her name is Miao Xiaoyi.

这些菜苗长得非常壮。

Zhèxiē càimiáo zhǎng de fēicháng zhuàng.

These vegetable seedlings are growing very strong.

疫苗能保护我们的健康。

Yìmiáo néng bǎohù wǒmen de jiànkāng.

Vaccines can protect our health.

新品种的麦苗抗旱能力强。

Xīn pǐnzhǒng de màimiáo kànghàn nénglì qiáng.

The new variety of wheat seedlings has strong drought resistance.

她的身材保持得很苗条。

Tā de shēncái bǎochí de hěn miáotiáo.

She keeps her figure very slim.

这位青年是位根正苗红的好党员。

Zhè wèi qīngnián shì wèi gēn zhèng miáo hóng de hǎo dǎngyuán.

This young person is a good Party member with upright roots and red sprouts (of proper background and ideology).

Related Characters

Composed characters:

Component: 田

Component: 艹

苗