种子
The English word "seed" is 种子 in Chinese.
The term 种子 refers to biological plant seeds. It is also used metaphorically to describe the "seed" or "germ" of an idea or a problem. In the specific context of sports tournaments, the phrase 种子选手 is used to mean a "seeded player".
Meaning: agriculture: any propagative portion of a plant which may be sown (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The word 种子 consists of 种 (zhǒng), meaning kind/species or to plant and 子 (zǐ), which is a noun suffix often used for small objects or offspring.
Did you know?
- In Chinese Buddhism, the term 种子 is used to describe the latent karmic imprints or 'seeds' stored in the subconscious that determine future experiences.
- If you are talking about 'seeds' in a figurative sense, such as the 'seeds of doubt', Chinese often uses the word 祸根 (huògēn), which means 'the root of a disaster'.
- The suffix 子 in 种子 originally meant 'child' or 'son'. This reflects an ancient linguistic view that a seed is the 'child' of the parent plant.
Examples in context
- 我从市场买了一袋花种子。I bought a bag of flower seeds from the market.
- 他手里拿着一把草籽，准备播种。He held a handful of grass seeds, ready to sow them.
- 快递给我带来了一些蔬菜种子。The courier brought me some vegetable seeds.
- 老师给我们每人一颗西瓜子作为奖励。The teacher gave each of us a watermelon seed as a reward.
- 这些种子可以种出向日葵。zhè xiē zhǒng zi kě yǐ zhòng chū xiàng rì kuí.These seeds can grow sunflowers.
- 我还没买好蔬菜种子。wǒ hái méi mǎi hǎo shū cài zhǒng zi.I haven't finished buying the vegetable seeds yet.
- 这种种子的质量非常好。zhè zhǒng zhǒng zi de zhì liàng fēi cháng hǎo.The quality of this seed is very good.
Example conversation
佳怡 and 俊杰 are at a garden center discussing gardening supplies.
- 佳怡 Jiayi你想买什么样的种子？nǐ xiǎng mǎi shén me yàng de zhǒng zi?What kind of seed do you want to buy?
- 俊杰 Junjie我想买一些西红柿种子。wǒ xiǎng mǎi yī xiē xī hóng shì zhǒng zi.I want to buy some tomato seeds.
- 佳怡 Jiayi这里的西红柿种子很新鲜。zhè lǐ de xī hóng shì zhǒng zi hěn xīn xiān.The tomato seeds here are very fresh.
- 俊杰 Junjie那我们快点选吧。nà wǒ men kuài diǎn xuǎn ba.Then let's choose them quickly.
