Definitions

líng fungus; tuber

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. represents the meaning and represents the sound.

Semantic: Phonetic:

About

The character "苓", traditionally written the same way, is a phono-semantic compound composed of the grass radical (艹) at the top, indicating its botanical nature, and the component "令" (lìng) below, which primarily provides its phonetic value. Etymologically, it originally referred to a specific type of plant, often identified as "lingzhi" (a fungus) or "fuling" (poria cocos, a medicinal mushroom). Over time, its application narrowed within the Chinese lexicon, and it is now almost exclusively used in the compound "茯苓" (fúlíng) to denote that particular medicinal tuber, with its independent use as a general plant name becoming obsolete.

Etymology Hide

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Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)
Traditional Modern
Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

这味药里含有茯

Zhè wèi yào lǐ hányǒu fúlíng.

This medicinal prescription contains poria cocos.

是一种常见的中药材。

Fúlíng shì yī zhǒng chángjiàn de zhōngyào cái.

Poria cocos is a common traditional Chinese medicinal material.

妈妈经常用茯煮汤喝。

Māma jīngcháng yòng fúlíng zhǔ tāng hē.

Mom often uses poria cocos to make soup.

我在药店买了一些茯片。

Wǒ zài yàodiàn mǎile yīxiē fúlíng piàn.

I bought some poria cocos slices at the pharmacy.

和黄芩可以搭配使用。

Fúlíng hé huángqín kěyǐ dāpèi shǐyòng.

Poria cocos and skullcap root can be used in combination.

具有利水渗湿的功效。

Fúlíng jùyǒu lì shuǐ shèn shī de gōngxiào.

Poria cocos has the effect of promoting diuresis and draining dampness.

这包茯看起来色泽洁白。

Zhè bāo fúlíng kàn qǐlái sèzé jiébái.

This packet of poria cocos looks pure white in color.

种植茯需要特定的环境条件。

Zhòngzhí fúlíng xūyào tèdìng de huánjìng tiáojiàn.

Cultivating poria cocos requires specific environmental conditions.