藏

zàng, cáng

臧 + 艹

HSK 3.0Level 5

Definitions

cáng (verb) to conceal; to hide; to store

Zàng (noun) Tibet

zàng (noun) storehouse; Buddhist scripture

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 艹 represents the meaning and 臧 represents the sound.

Semantic: 艹 Phonetic: 臧

About

藏 is a phono-semantic compound. The grass radical 艹 hints at hiding things in vegetation, while 臧 indicates the pronunciation. Its original sense was to conceal, hide, or store away. Over time, the character developed distinct verbal and nominal uses: the verb means to hide or store away, and the noun refers to a repository or collection of valuable texts. This noun sense later became the standard designation for Tibet and Tibetan Buddhism.

Etymology Hide

Bronze Late Warring States (~250 BC)

Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Clerical Western Jin dynasty (266-316 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

我把糖藏起来了。

Wǒ bǎ táng cáng qǐlái le.

I hid the candy.

他喜欢收藏邮票。

Tā xǐhuān shōucáng yóupiào.

He likes collecting stamps.

西藏是中国的一部分。

Xīzàng shì Zhōngguó de yī bùfèn.

Tibet is part of China.

她把秘密藏在心里。

Tā bǎ mìmì cáng zài xīnli.

She hides the secret in her heart.

这本书藏在图书馆的角落。

Zhè běn shū cáng zài túshūguǎn de jiǎoluò.

This book is hidden in the corner of the library.

为了安全，他把钱藏在了一个只有他知道的地方。

Wèile ānquán, tā bǎ qián cáng zàile yī gè zhǐyǒu tā zhīdào de dìfang.

For safety, he hid the money in a place only he knows.

如果被找到，藏起来的礼物就没有惊喜了。

Rúguǒ bèi zhǎodào, cáng qǐlái de lǐwù jiù méiyǒu jīngxǐ le.

If found, the hidden gift will have no surprise.

在古老的城堡里，藏着一个未被发现的宝藏。

Zài gǔlǎo de chéngbǎo lǐ, cángzhe yī gè wèi bèi fāxiàn de bǎozàng.

In the ancient castle, there is a hidden treasure that has not been discovered.

Related Characters

Composed characters:

Component: 臧

Component: 艹

藏