马莲

馬蓮
mǎlián
noun #27,709

Meanings

  1. 1 Iris lactea (Chinese iris; a type of wild iris plant)
  2. 2 reed-like grass used for tying or weaving (in some regional dialects)

Examples

Mǎlián cǎo zài běifāng de tiányě lǐ suíchù kějiàn.
Chinese iris grows everywhere in the fields of northern China.
Tā yòng mǎlián bǎ zòngzi zā hǎo, fàng rù guō zhōng zhǔ.
She tied the zongzi with iris leaves and placed them in the pot to cook.

Tips

culture
马莲 (Iris lactea) leaves are traditionally used in northern China to tie zongzi (粽子, sticky rice dumplings) during the Dragon Boat Festival. The plant is common in grasslands and is also used as animal fodder.

Stroke Order

lián