苞

bāo

包 + 艹

Definitions

bāo bud; flower calyx; luxuriant; profuse

Etymology

A flower 艹 unfolding 包; 包 also provides the pronunciation

About

苞 is a phono-semantic compound. The upper radical 艹 ('grass') marks it as a plant, while the lower component 包 (bāo) gives the pronunciation and carries the sense of wrapping. Together they describe a botanical bud or the protective bract that encloses an inflorescence, a wrapping that later unfolds. Today, 苞 is used exclusively in technical botanical and agricultural terms.

Etymology Hide

Oracle (~1250-1000 BC)

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Seal Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Clerical Cao Wei (Three Kingdoms: 222-280 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

这些花苞很漂亮。

Zhè xiē huā bāo hěn piào liang.

These flower buds are very beautiful.

苞米可以煮着吃。

Bāo mǐ kě yǐ zhǔ zhe chī.

Corn can be boiled and eaten.

树上有很多新苞。

Shù shàng yǒu hěn duō xīn bāo.

There are many new buds on the tree.

农民喜欢种苞谷。

Nóng mín xǐ huān zhòng bāo gǔ.

Farmers like to plant corn.

玫瑰的花苞是红色的。

Méi guī de huā bāo shì hóng sè de.

The rose buds are red.

苞片保护着幼嫩的花蕾。

Bāo piàn bǎo hù zhe yòu nèn de huā lěi.

Bracts protect the tender flower buds.

植物打苞时需细心照料。

Zhí wù dǎ bāo shí xū xì xīn zhào liào.

Plants need careful care when they are budding.

研究人员观察了苞的形态变化。

Yán jiū rén yuán guān chá le bāo de xíng tài biàn huà.

Researchers observed the morphological changes of the buds.

Related Characters

Component: 包

Component: 艹

苞