茎 (jīng) · stem, stalk

Measure Word

一根茎 gēn

Meanings

1 stem
2 stalk

Characters

茎

jīng

stem; stalk

Examples

HSK 4

这种植物的茎很细。

Zhèzhǒng zhíwù de jīng hěn xì.

The stem of this plant is very thin.

HSK 6

水从茎输送到叶子。

Shuǐ cóng jīng shūsòng dào yèzi.

Water is transported from the stem to the leaves.

Components

radical

艹 cǎo

grass; plant (top radical)

Top grass radical - the indexing component, marking 茎 as botanical. The character names the stem or stalk of a plant - the part supporting leaves, flowers, fruit. Same radical heads 苗 sprout, 芽 bud, 叶 leaf, 草 grass, anchoring everything green to this 3-stroke cap.

phonetic

圣 shèng

simplified residue (fused from traditional 巠)

Bottom is a 5-stroke simplified shape replacing the traditional 巠 phonetic of 莖. Not the standalone 'sacred 圣' - just a borrowed silhouette. The 1956 reform reused this residue across the whole 巠 family: 径 path, 经 to pass through, 轻 light, 颈 neck.