桂

guì
noun #21,555

Meanings

  1. 1 cassia
  2. 2 osmanthus
  3. 3 laurel
  4. 4 surname Gui
  5. 5 abbr. for Guangxi

Examples

HSK 6
Guìlín shānshuǐ jiǎ tiānxià.
The landscape of Guilin is the finest under heaven.
HSK 7-9
Yuànzi lǐ de guìhuā xiāngqì sìyì.
The osmanthus flowers in the courtyard were fragrant all around.

Tips

culture
桂 is associated with the moon in Chinese poetry - legend holds that a cassia tree (桂树) grows on the moon. 桂 also abbreviates 广西 (Guangxi), so 桂林 means 'cassia grove'.

Components

radical
木 mù
tree; wood
Left tree radical - a pictograph of a tree with roots and branches. 桂 names the osmanthus and cassia trees, prized for their fragrance and cinnamon-like bark, so the tree tag is literal. Same indexing radical as 松 pine, 柳 willow, 桃 peach, 梅 plum.
phonetic
圭 guī
jade tablet
Right side 圭 supplies the sound - guī → guì with tone shift. 圭 originally named a tapered jade tablet held by nobles at court, and the same phonetic appears in 桂's siblings 挂 to hang, 蛙 frog, 街 street, 闺 boudoir.

Stroke Order

桂 guì