蘩

fán
noun #97,996

Meanings

  1. 1 white wormwood (a sagebrush used in sacrifice and as a pot-herb)

Examples

HSK 7-9
Yú yǐ cǎi fán, yú zhǎo yú zhǐ.
Where do we gather the white wormwood? By the pools and islets.

Tips

history
Not used in modern Chinese; it survives only in the 《诗经》 ode 采蘩 naming a wormwood gathered for ritual. The top is the grass radical 艹 and 繁 below supplies the sound.
register
Classical only, confined to the Classics and old herbals, never modern speech.

Components

radical
艹 cǎo
grass; plant
The grass radical 艹 caps the character and marks 蘩 as a herb, the white wormwood gathered from marshy ground.
phonetic
繁 fán
numerous; profuse (phonetic)
Below the grass, 繁 supplies the fán sound; its sense of 'profuse' suits a plant that grows in abundant clumps, but it contributes no botanical meaning of its own.

Stroke Order

蘩 fán