荔枝 (lìzhī) · lychee, litchi

Measure Word

一颗荔枝 kē

Meanings

1 lychee
2 litchi

About the ingredient

水果 Fruit · In season: summer

Bumpy red-shelled fruit from Guangdong, Guangxi and Fujian, ripe in summer. The shell peels off to show white, translucent, very sweet flesh around a glossy stone. Eaten fresh, as it spoils within days.

Characters

Examples

HSK 7-9

夏天的荔枝又甜又多汁。

Xiàtiān de lìzhī yòu tián yòu duōzhī.

Summer lychees are sweet and juicy.

HSK 7-9

荔枝吃多了容易上火。

Lìzhī chī duō le róngyì shànghuǒ.

Eating too many lychees easily causes internal heat.

Tips

history

Tang Dynasty imperial consort Yang Guifei (杨贵妃) famously loved lychees; couriers rode fresh fruit on horseback from Lingnan to Chang'an. Du Mu's poem 过华清宫 immortalized 一骑红尘妃子笑，无人知是荔枝来.