天花

tiānhuā
noun #22,255

Meanings

  1. 1 smallpox
  2. 2 ceiling (of a room)
  3. 3 decorative ceiling ornament

Examples

Tiānhuā yǐjīng bèi xiāomiè le.
Smallpox has already been eradicated.
Zhè zuò gōngdiàn de tiānhuā zhuāngshì shífēn jīngměi.
The ceiling ornaments of this palace are exquisitely beautiful.

Tips

usage
天花 has two distinct meanings: (1) smallpox — eradicated globally in 1980; (2) a decorative ceiling in traditional Chinese architecture (天花板 tiānhuābǎn = ceiling). Context makes the meaning clear.
memory
(sky/heaven) + (flower): the skin lesions of smallpox were likened to flowers from heaven, giving the disease its poetic but grim name.

Stroke Order

tiān
huā