Definitions

zǎo aquatic grasses; elegant

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. represents the meaning and represents the sound.

Semantic: Phonetic:

About

The character "藻" is structured as a phono-semantic compound, combining the grass radical (艹) to signify its botanical nature with the phonetic component "澡" to indicate its pronunciation, originally denoting aquatic plants like algae. Its etymology has remained stable in form, while its meaning gradually extended from a literal reference to water-dwelling vegetation into the figurative realm of literary expression, where it came to represent ornate diction or embellishment in language, as evidenced in terms such as "詞藻". This semantic expansion reflects a metaphorical transfer from the natural adornment of algae to the artistic decoration found in written works.

Etymology Hide

Seal etymology image
Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)
Seal etymology image
Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)
Traditional Modern
Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

生长在海里。

Hǎizǎo shēngzhǎng zài hǎi lǐ.

Seaweed grows in the sea.

池塘里有很多绿

Chítáng lǐ yǒu hěn duō lǜzǎo.

There is a lot of green algae in the pond.

类植物非常古老。

Zǎolèi zhíwù fēichāng gǔlǎo.

Algae are very ancient plants.

科学家正在研究这些类。

Kēxuéjiā zhèngzài yánjiū zhèxiē zǎolèi.

Scientists are researching these algae.

富含多种营养物质。

Hǎizǎo fùhán duō zhǒng yíngyǎng wùzhì.

Seaweed is rich in various nutrients.

这片水域发生了蓝水华。

Zhè piàn shuǐyù fāshēngle lánzǎo shuǐhuá.

A blue-green algae bloom has occurred in this water body.

类的过度繁殖会污染水源。

Zǎolèi de guòdù fánzhí huì wūrǎn shuǐyuán.

Excessive proliferation of algae can pollute water sources.

他们正在探索类生产生物燃料的潜力。

Tāmen zhèngzài tànsuǒ zǎolèi shēngchǎn shēngwù ránliào de qiánlì.

They are exploring the potential of algae for producing biofuel.