豆蔻 (dòukòu): cardamom (the spice/plant)

Meanings

1 cardamom (the spice/plant)
2 a girl's early teenage years (figurative, 13-14 years old)
3 budding youth (literary)

Characters

豆

Examples

印度菜常常用到豆蔻。

Yìndù cài chángcháng yòngdào dòukòu.

Indian cuisine often uses cardamom.

她正是豆蔻年华。

Tā zhèng shì dòukòu niánhuá.

She is in the bloom of her early teens.

Tips

history

The figurative meaning comes from Tang poet 杜牧 (Du Mu)'s line 娉娉袅袅十三余，豆蔻梢头二月初 — comparing a graceful 13-year-old girl to a cardamom bud in early spring. Hence 豆蔻年华 'cardamom-bud years' = a girl's early teens.