Definitions
Thea sinensis
Etymology
About
荈 is a phono-semantic compound consisting of the grass radical 艹 (cǎo) on top, marking it as plant-related, and the phonetic component 舛 (chuǎn) below, which gives the sound. Historically, it was coined to name a very specific agricultural product: the old, coarse, or late-picked leaves of the tea plant, as opposed to the tender early spring buds denoted by other characters. Because its meaning is confined strictly to the classification of tea leaves by harvest time and quality, the character functions as a specialized term within historical agricultural texts and classical literature on tea cultivation.
Report an issue
Flag incorrect definitions, examples, etymology, etc.