About
The character 菜 is a phono-semantic compound consisting of the grass radical 艹 on top and the character 采 (cǎi) beneath. 艹 assigns the general meaning of plants, while 采 provides the sound and contributes the related idea of plucking or gathering, its own original meaning. The earliest sense of 菜 was thus wild edible herbs and plants that people collected for food. From this, it expanded to include cultivated vegetables, and eventually came to designate any prepared dish or course in a meal, regardless of plant content.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
我今天买了菜。
妈妈做的菜很好吃。
这道菜太辣了。
我喜欢吃青菜。
中国菜很有名。
他去市场买新鲜蔬菜。
如果你不吃菜，会缺乏维生素。
这家餐厅的招牌菜是烤鸭。
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