About
荆 is a phono-semantic compound. The grass radical 艹 at the top provides the semantic category of plants, while the lower component 刑 supplies the pronunciation. Originally, it denoted a specific thorny deciduous shrub, the chaste tree, and by extension came to refer to brambles and wild undergrowth. Because these plants grew abundantly in a region of southern China, the character was adopted as the early geographic name for the state of Chu and its territory, becoming a prominent historical place name.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
路上有很多荆棘。
荆条可以用来编筐。
这种植物叫荆芥。
他在荆棘丛中迷路了。
奶奶用荆条做了个花篮。
这片荒野布满了荆棘。
面对生活的荆棘，她从不退缩。
这些古老的荆编手艺正在失传。