含羞草

hánxiūcǎo
noun #31,121

Measure Word

Meanings

  1. 1 mimosa
  2. 2 sensitive plant (Mimosa pudica), whose leaves fold inward when touched

Examples

HSK 4
Háizi men zuì ài pèng hánxiūcǎo, kàn zhe yèzi hé shàng.
Kids love poking the mimosa to watch its leaves close up.
HSK 5
Tā zài yángtái shàng yǎng le yì pén hánxiūcǎo.
She keeps a pot of mimosa on the balcony.

Tips

memory
The Chinese name is a tiny poem: 含羞 'harboring shyness' + 'plant' = 'the plant that holds in its bashfulness'. When you brush a leaf, it folds inward as if blushing. The English botanical name Mimosa pudica means the same thing in Latin (pudica = 'modest/shy'), but Chinese gets there with everyday words.
culture
The fold-on-touch reaction is a defense mechanism (thigmonasty), not actual emotion - but the metaphor of a girl 'as shy as a 含羞草' is a near-universal cliché in Chinese pop songs and novels.

Stroke Order

hán
xiū
cǎo