含羞草

hánxiūcǎo
noun #31,121

Measure Word

Meanings

  1. 1 mimosa
  2. 2 sensitive plant (Mimosa pudica), whose leaves fold inward when touched

Examples

Háizimen zuì ài pèng hánxiūcǎo, kàn zhe yèzi hé shàng.
Kids love poking the mimosa to watch its leaves close up.
Tā zài yángtái shàng yǎngle yì pén hánxiūcǎo.
She keeps a pot of mimosa on the balcony.

Tips

memory
The Chinese name is a tiny poem: 'harboring shyness' + 'plant' = 'the plant that holds in its bashfulness'. When you brush a leaf, it folds inward as if blushing. The English botanical name Mimosa pudica means the same thing in Latin (pudica = 'modest/shy'), but Chinese gets there with everyday words.
culture
The fold-on-touch reaction is a defense mechanism (thigmonasty), not actual emotion — but the metaphor of a girl 'as shy as a 含羞草' is a near-universal cliché in Chinese pop songs and novels.

Stroke Order

hán
xiū
cǎo