About
This character combines 木 (mù, wood) on the left with 艮 (gěn) as the phonetic component on the right. It originally meant the roots of trees or plants, with the wood radical providing the semantic category and 艮 suggesting firmness, reflecting how roots anchor a plant. Over time, its meaning expanded from physical roots to include the source, origin, or fundamental basis of abstract ideas. It is commonly used as a noun for foundations and as a measure word for long, thin objects like sticks or strings.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
大树的根很粗。
根据计划，我们明天出发。
水是生命的根源。
这根本不是问题。
我们要从根本上解决这个问题。
政府决心根除腐败。
只有找到问题的根源，才能有效应对。
这种观念已经根植于他们的文化之中。