斑竹

bānzhú

noun

Meanings

1 mottled bamboo
2 spotted bamboo (Phyllostachys bambusoides f. lacrima-deae)

Characters

spotted, mottled

Examples

斑竹的茎上有紫褐色的斑点。

Bānzhú de jīng shàng yǒu zǐhèsè de bāndiǎn.

Mottled bamboo has purple-brown spots on its stems.

湖南君山岛盛产斑竹。

Húnán Jūnshān Dǎo shèngchǎn bānzhú.

Junshan Island in Hunan is famous for its mottled bamboo.

Tips

culture

Also called 湘妃竹 ('Xiang Consorts' bamboo'). Legend says the spots are tear stains from Emperor Shun's two wives Ehuang (娥皇) and Nüying (女英), who wept onto the bamboo by the Xiang River when news came of his death. The story is referenced in classical poetry whenever 斑竹 appears.

Stroke Order

斑 bān

竹 zhú