珊瑚
shānhú
珊瑚 (shānhú) is the Chinese word for coral.
珊瑚 is a noun used to refer to a coral species or a coral colony.
Meaning: species or colony (noun)
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Cantonese, 珊瑚 is the formal term for coral.
How do you pronounce it?
shānhú
Did you know?
- In traditional Chinese culture, 珊瑚 is often associated with the 'Dragon Palace' beneath the sea, where it is depicted as a precious architectural material.
- The name 珊瑚 is actually a phonetic borrowing from a Central Asian language rather than a descriptive Chinese term. It likely entered the language via an Iranian source during the Han Dynasty.
- Traditional Chinese medicine once classified 珊瑚 as a mineral rather than a living animal colony.
Examples in context
- 珊瑚礁是这个地区的主要景点。The coral reef is the region's prime attraction.This sentence is useful for seeing how to use 珊瑚 in the context of a coral reef.Tatoeba #1397043 by mtdot, translation #954341 by CK
- 我在海底看到了美丽的珊瑚。I saw beautiful coral at the bottom of the sea.
- 这里有很多种类的珊瑚。zhèlǐ yǒu hěnduō zhǒnglèi de shānhú.There are many kinds of coral here.
- 那块红色的珊瑚很漂亮。nà kuài hóngsè de shānhú hěn piàoliang.That red coral is very beautiful.
Example conversation
A couple is diving in the ocean and looking at the sea life.
- 志强 Zhiqiang雨婷，快看那片珊瑚！Yǔtíng, kuài kàn nà piàn shānhú!Yuting, look at that coral!
- 雨婷 Yuting哇，这里的珊瑚真壮观。Wa, zhèlǐ de shānhú zhēn zhuàngguān.Wow, the coral here is truly spectacular.
- 志强 Zhiqiang我想拍一张珊瑚的照片。Wǒ xiǎng pāi yì zhāng shānhú de zhàopiàn.I want to take a photo of the coral.
- 雨婷 Yuting好啊，我帮你拍吧。Hǎo a, wǒ bāng nǐ pāi ba.Okay, let me help you take it.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 珊瑚, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
