Definitions

bàn petal; segment; clove (of garlic); piece; section; fragment; valve; lamella; classifier for pieces, segments etc

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. represents the meaning and represents the sound. The current meaning is a phonetic loan.

Semantic: Phonetic:

About

The character 瓣 is a phono-semantic compound where the central semantic component 瓜 (melon) is flanked by the phonetic component 辡, which provides its pronunciation. The melon radical indicates an original connection to the natural segments within fruits, such as the seeds or fleshy sections of a gourd or citrus. Its meaning later expanded to include flower petals and analogous structures, like the valves of a heart or the cloves of a garlic bulb, shifting from a specific botanical term to a general classifier for biological and mechanical segments.

Etymology Hide

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

Example Sentences Hide

很漂亮。

Huā bàn hěn piàoliang.

The petals are very beautiful.

这些花落在地上。

Zhèxiē huā bàn luò zài dìshàng.

These petals fall on the ground.

橘子通常有八到十

Júzi tōngcháng yǒu bā dào shí bàn.

Oranges usually have eight to ten segments.

妈妈把蒜切成碎末。

Māma bǎ suàn bàn qiē chéng suì mò.

Mom chopped the garlic cloves into fine pieces.

心脏膜帮助血液流动。

Xīnzàng bànmó bāngzhù xuèyè liúdòng.

Heart valves help blood flow.

这些花的颜色非常鲜艳。

Zhèxiē huā bàn de yánsè fēicháng xiānyàn.

The color of these petals is very bright.

医生建议更换损坏的膜。

Yīshēng jiànyì gēnghuàn sǔnhuài de bànmó.

The doctor recommended replacing the damaged valve.

这款人工膜的设计采用了最新技术。

Zhè kuǎn réngōng bànmó de shèjì cǎiyòng le zuì xīn jìshù.

The design of this artificial valve adopts the latest technology.