盆景
pénjǐng
In Chinese, bonsai is 盆景 (pénjǐng). Wiktionary also lists 盆栽 (pénzāi).
Meaning: a miniaturized tree or plant (verb)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 盆景 | pénjǐng |
| 盆栽 | pénzāi |
The term for bonsai refers to a miniaturized tree or plant. While both 盆景 and 盆栽 can refer to plants in containers, 盆景 specifically emphasizes the artistic arrangement and scenery, whereas 盆栽 is a more general term for any plant grown in a pot.
What does it mean word for word?
The word 盆景 is composed of 盆 (pén), meaning 'pot' or 'basin' and 景 (jǐng), meaning 'scenery' or 'view'.
Which one should you use?
盆景 emphasizes the artistic arrangement and the scenery created by the plant, whereas 盆栽 is a more general term for any potted plant. 盆栽 is more common for everyday potted plants (like flowers or herbs) that are not necessarily styled as artistic bonsai.
How does it change in a sentence?
Both 盆景 and 盆栽 are nouns and do not change form for plurality or tense.
How do you pronounce it?
pénjǐng
Did you know?
- While the world knows the art as 'bonsai', that is actually the Japanese pronunciation of the Chinese characters 盆栽. In China, the same characters are pronounced pénzāi.
- The art of 盆景 predates the Japanese 'bonsai' by centuries, originating in the Han Dynasty as a way to express philosophical views of the cosmos.
- Certain species of 盆景 are chosen based on the 'five elements' of Chinese philosophy, where the shape and color of the plant correspond to wood, fire, earth, metal and water.
Examples in context
- 台风天记得把窗台上的盆景拿下来。Don't forget to take your bonsai off the windowsill for typhoon season.This sentence shows how to use 盆景 when discussing moving a plant during typhoon season.Tatoeba #10269025 by GlossaMatik, translation #13731451 by humorous9830
- 今天我去参观了一个精美的盆景展览。Today I visited a beautiful bonsai exhibition.
Example conversation
Yuting and Haoran are visiting a garden center.
- 雨婷 Yuting浩然，你看这个盆景漂亮吗？Hào rán, nǐ kàn zhège pénjǐng piàoliang ma?Haoran, do you think this bonsai is beautiful?
- 浩然 Haoran非常漂亮，修剪得很有艺术感。Fēicháng piàoliang, xiūjiǎn de hěn yǒu yìshù gǎn.Very beautiful, it's pruned with a great sense of art.
- 雨婷 Yuting我想把它买回家装饰房间。Wǒ xiǎng bǎ tā mǎi huí jiā zhuāngshì fángjiān.I want to buy it to decorate my room.
- 浩然 Haoran好的，那我们赶紧去买吧。Hǎo de, nà wǒmen gǎnjǐn qù mǎi ba.Okay, let's go buy it quickly.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “bonsai” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
