笋 (sǔn): bamboo shoot

Meanings

1 bamboo shoot

Characters

笋

sǔn

bamboo shoot

Examples

春天的竹笋很嫩，特别好吃。

Chūntiān de zhú sǔn hěn nèn, tèbié hǎochī.

Spring bamboo shoots are tender and especially tasty.

雨后春笋般地冒了出来。

Yǔhòu chūn sǔn bān de mào le chūlái.

Bamboo shoots sprang up after the rain.

这道笋炒肉很好吃。

Zhè dào sǔn chǎo ròu hěn hǎochī.

This stir-fried pork with bamboo shoots is delicious.

Tips

usage

Common in 竹笋 ('bamboo shoot') and the vivid simile 雨后春笋 ('like bamboo shoots after rain'), said of things springing up rapidly in great numbers.

Components

radical

⺮ zhú

bamboo

The bamboo-cap radical on top (the compressed form of 竹) gives the meaning directly: a 笋 is the young shoot of bamboo.

phonetic

尹 yǐn

to govern; an official

Sits below the bamboo cap and supplies the sound element of the character; it carries no 'official' meaning here, serving only the phonetic role.

Stroke Order

笋 sǔn

Related Words

夺笋 duósǔn

so wicked / so mean (internet slang) / savage / cutting (pun on 毒损) / (lit.) to snatch bamboo shoots

焖笋 mènsǔn

braised bamboo shoots

莴笋叶 wōsǔnyè

celtuce leaves / leafy tops of stem lettuce (Lactuca sativa var. asparagina), cooked as a vegetable in Chinese cuisine

土笋冻 tǔsǔndòng

sea worm jelly (Fujian specialty made from peanut worms)

芦笋 lúsǔn #23,181

asparagus

莴笋 wōsǔn #76,444

celtuce / stem lettuce / asparagus lettuce

雨后春笋 yǔhòu-chūnsǔn #96,706

bamboo shoots after spring rain (idiom) / springing up rapidly and in large numbers / a sudden proliferation

玉兰片 yùlánpiàn

dried bamboo shoot slices / preserved bamboo shoots (sliced)

摄影 shèyǐng HSK 5 #3,840

photography; to take a photograph / to shoot (a film)

射击 shèjī HSK 5 #2,853

to shoot; to fire (a gun) / shooting (as a sport)