Definitions

zhè sugar cane

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. represents the meaning and represents the sound.

Semantic: Phonetic:

About

The character "蔗" is structured as a phono-semantic compound, combining the grass radical (艹) to signify its botanical nature with the phonetic component "庶" that guides pronunciation, a construction that explicitly links it to the sugarcane plant. This character was devised to specifically represent sugarcane, a plant that became economically significant in China, and it has retained this primary meaning throughout its history without semantic drift. The phonetic element "庶" originally denotes abundance or commonality, but in this context, it functions solely as a sound clue without influencing the semantic field, which remains narrowly focused on the plant and its derivatives. In classical literature and agricultural texts, "蔗" consistently refers to the sugarcane plant and its products, such as raw sugar or juice, demonstrating a stable semantic trajectory within the Chinese language.

Etymology Hide

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Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)
Traditional Modern
Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

这种甘很甜。

Zhè zhǒng gānzhè hěn tián.

This kind of sugar cane is sweet.

农民在田里种甘

Nóngmín zài tián lǐ zhòng gānzhè.

Farmers plant sugar cane in the fields.

糖是从甘中提取的。

Zhètáng shì cóng gānzhè zhōng tíqǔ de.

Sucrose is extracted from sugar cane.

榨甘汁需要机器。

Zhà gānzhè zhī xūyào jīqì.

Pressing sugar cane juice requires machines.

在热带地区,甘生长得很好。

Zài rèdài dìqū, gānzhè shēngzhǎng de hěn hǎo.

In tropical regions, sugar cane grows well.

我们参观了一个甘种植园。

Wǒmen cānguānle yīgè gānzhè zhòngzhí yuán.

We visited a sugar cane plantation.

虽然甘很甜,但吃太多对牙齿不好。

Suīrán gānzhè hěn tián, dàn chī tài duō duì yáchǐ bù hǎo.

Although sugar cane is sweet, eating too much is bad for teeth.

通过现代技术,甘的产量大大提高。

Tōngguò xiàndài jìshù, gānzhè de chǎnliàng dàdà tígāo.

Through modern technology, the yield of sugar cane has greatly increased.