How to Say "Ivy" in Chinese - How To Say Guide

常春藤

chángchūnténg

The Chinese word for "ivy" is 常春藤 (chángchūnténg).

常春藤 is a noun used to refer to plants of the genus Hedera.

Meaning: plant of the genus Hedera (noun)

What does it mean word for word?

The word is composed of 常 meaning always or evergreen, 春 meaning spring and 藤 meaning vine or creeper.

As a noun, 常春藤 does not change its form to indicate pluralization.

chángchūnténg

While 常春藤 is the standard name for ivy, in many parts of China, people might simply call it 爬山虎 (pāshānhǔ), which translates to 'mountain-climbing tiger'.
In certain Chinese poetic contexts, the components of 'evergreen spring' (常春) are used to wish someone a long and prosperous life, much like the plant's appearance.
In modern Chinese internet slang, references to 'Ivy' can sometimes be a shorthand way of discussing academic elitism due to the influence of the 'Ivy League' translation.

花園裡開始冒出常春藤。
Ivy started growing in the garden.
This sentence shows how to describe ivy growing in a garden using 常春藤.
Tatoeba #13109380 by LeviHighway, translation #10859623 by Amastan
西洋常春藤是攀緣藤本植物。
English ivy is a climbing vine.
This sentence describes English ivy as a climbing vine using 常春藤.
Tatoeba #13249552 by LeviHighway, translation #10859985 by Amastan
你好，我是艾薇。
Hello, this is Ivy.
嘿，维维，你好吗？
Hi Ivy, how are you?
牆上爬滿了常春藤。
qiáng shàng pá mǎn le cháng chūn téng.
The wall is covered in ivy.

Two friends are walking through a botanical garden.

佳怡 Jiayi

你看，这里的常春藤真漂亮。
Nǐ kàn, zhèlǐ de cháng chūn téng zhēn piào liang.
Look, the ivy here is really beautiful.
志强 Zhiqiang

确实，它们长得很快。
Què shí, tā men zhǎng de hěn kuài.
Indeed, they grow very quickly.
佳怡 Jiayi

我想在家里种一些常春藤。
Wǒ xiǎng zài jiā lǐ zhòng yī xiē cháng chūn téng.
I want to plant some ivy at home.
志强 Zhiqiang

那是个好主意，佳怡。
Nà shì gè hǎo zhǔ yì, Jiāyí.
That is a good idea, Jiayi.

Sources

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