甘棠

gāntáng

noun

Measure Word

一棵甘棠 kē

Meanings

1 birchleaf pear, a wild pear tree
2 The Sweet Pear Tree, a poem in the Shaonan section of the Book of Songs

Characters

Examples

HSK 4

院子里有一棵老甘棠，春天开满白色的花。

Yuànzi lǐ yǒu yì kē lǎo gāntáng, chūntiān kāimǎn báisè de huā.

There is an old birchleaf pear in the courtyard, and every spring it is covered in white flowers.

HSK 7-9

《诗经》里的《甘棠》劝人们不要砍召公休息过的那棵树。

《 Shījīng 》 lǐ de 《 Gāntáng 》 quàn rénmen búyào kǎn Shàogōng xiūxi guo de nà kē shù.

'The Sweet Pear Tree' in the Book of Songs asks people not to cut down the tree the Duke of Shao once rested under.

Tips

culture

The poem begins 蔽芾甘棠，勿翦勿伐，召伯所茇。 'Lush is the sweet pear tree: do not trim it, do not cut it, the Duke of Shao camped under it.' The duke, 召公, was said to have heard lawsuits beneath the tree, and the people spared it for his sake. Ever since, 甘棠 has stood for a good official whom the people remember, as in the old tribute 甘棠遗爱.

Stroke Order

甘 gān

棠 táng