Definitions

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

Etymology phono-semantic

melon

Semantic: Phonetic:

About

The character 瓣, with its structure featuring the melon radical 瓜 centered between two 辛 elements, originally referred to the seeds or kernels found inside fruits like melons, indicating its early agricultural context. Etymologically, it is connected to ideas of separation, likely derived from the process of dividing fruit to reveal its inner parts. Subsequently, its meaning broadened to denote any natural segment or piece, such as flower petals or garlic cloves, illustrating a generalization from specific botanical references to a wider range of partitioned objects in everyday language.

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.