瓣

bàn

瓜 + 辛

Definitions

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

Etymology

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

Semantic: 瓜 Phonetic: 辡

About

瓣 is a phono-semantic compound: the central element 瓜 (melon, gourd) conveys the meaning, while the flanking 辡 supplies the sound. Its original sense, tied to the gourd radical, referred to the seeds, slices, or fleshy sections of a melon or citrus fruit. The present-day meanings, flower petals, heart valves, garlic cloves, and similar segmental structures, stem from a phonetic loan rather than a direct semantic extension, and the character now serves as a general classifier for biological and mechanical divisions.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

花瓣很漂亮。

Huā bàn hěn piàoliang.

The petals are very beautiful.

这些花瓣落在地上。

Zhèxiē huā bàn luò zài dìshàng.

These petals fall on the ground.

橘子通常有八到十瓣。

Júzi tōngcháng yǒu bā dào shí bàn.

Oranges usually have eight to ten segments.

妈妈把蒜瓣切成碎末。

Māma bǎ suàn bàn qiē chéng suì mò.

Mom chopped the garlic cloves into fine pieces.

心脏瓣膜帮助血液流动。

Xīnzàng bànmó bāngzhù xuèyè liúdòng.

Heart valves help blood flow.

这些花瓣的颜色非常鲜艳。

Zhèxiē huā bàn de yánsè fēicháng xiānyàn.

The color of these petals is very bright.

医生建议更换损坏的瓣膜。

Yīshēng jiànyì gēnghuàn sǔnhuài de bànmó.

The doctor recommended replacing the damaged valve.

这款人工瓣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.

Related Characters

Component: 瓜

Component: 辛

瓣