钟乳 (zhōngrǔ): stalactite

Meanings

1 stalactite
2 (archaic) bell-knob ornament on an ancient bronze bell

Characters

钟

breast; nipple-shaped

Examples

洞穴里挂着各种形状的钟乳。

Dòngxué lǐ guàzhe gèzhǒng xíngzhuàng de zhōngrǔ.

Stalactites of all shapes hang inside the cave.

钟乳是石灰岩溶洞的常见景观。

Zhōngrǔ shì shíhuīyán róngdòng de chángjiàn jǐngguān.

Stalactites are a common sight in limestone karst caves.

Tips

memory

Usually appears as 钟乳石 (zhōngrǔshí, stalactite, lit. 'bell-nipple stone'). The image is of nipple-like 乳 protrusions hanging like bell ornaments 钟 — ancient Chinese bronze bells (编钟 biānzhōng) had bumpy bosses called 乳, which the cave formations resemble.