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椿

chūn
noun #60,438

Meanings

  1. 1 Chinese toon (Toona sinensis)
  2. 2 father (literary)

Examples

春天人们采香椿芽炒鸡蛋。
Chūntiān rénmen cǎi xiāngchūn yá chǎo jīdàn.
In spring people pick toon shoots to scramble with eggs.
愿椿萱并茂，福寿双全。
Yuàn chūnxuān bìng mào, fúshòu shuāngquán.
May your father and mother both enjoy long life.

Tips

culture
An ancient text describes a giant 椿 tree that lived for thousands of years, so the word became a respectful metaphor for one's father. 椿萱 ('toon and daylily') is a literary way to say 'father and mother' together.

Components

radical
木 mù
tree; wood
The tree radical on the left marks this as a kind of tree, the toon, whose tender spring shoots are eaten as a vegetable.
phonetic
春 chūn
spring
Supplies the sound directly: 春 is read chūn, exactly matching the whole character, with a fitting hint of the spring season when toon shoots appear.

Stroke Order

椿 chūn