How to Say "Spring Onion" in Mandarin

蔥 / 葱

cōng

In Mandarin, spring onion is 蔥 / 葱 (cōng). Wiktionary also lists 大蔥 / 大葱 (dàcōng).

Meaning: Allium fistulosum (noun)

Ways to say it

“spring onion” in Mandarin
Mandarin	Romanization (Wiktionary)
蔥 / 葱	cōng
大蔥 / 大葱	dàcōng

The term 蔥 / 葱 is used both as a general category for the plant and as a specific ingredient in cooking.

While 蔥 / 葱 refers generally to spring onions or scallions, 大蔥 / 大葱 specifically refers to the larger, thicker variety of green onion.

In some parts of China, the term 葱花 is used to specifically refer to chopped or thinly sliced spring onion.

cōng

In traditional Chinese medicine, 蔥 is not just a food but a medicinal herb used to 'release the exterior' and treat the early stages of a cold.
The word 蔥 is a distant linguistic relative of the Tibetan word tsong, which also means 'onion'. This connects the Mandarin term to a much older Proto-Sino-Tibetan root.
The character 蔥 is often used in the phrase 蔥蔥鬱鬱, which describes a landscape that is lush, green and overgrown with vegetation.

请将一根葱切碎。(Qǐng jiāng yī gēn cōng qiē suì.)
Please chop a spring onion into small pieces.
这道菜需要一些葱作为装饰。(Zhè dào cài xū yào yī xiē cōng zuò wéi zhuāng shì.)
This dish requires some spring onion for garnishing.
这本食谱上没有葱。(Zhè běn shí pǔ shàng méi yǒu cōng.)
There are no spring onions in this recipe.
今天我们的炒饭里加了一些大葱。(Jīn tiān wǒ men de chǎo fàn lǐ jiā le yī xiē dà cōng.)
We added some spring onions to our fried rice today.
这碗拉面上撒满了花生碎和葱花。(Zhè wǎn lā miàn shàng sǎ mǎn le huā shēng suì hé cōng huā.)
This bowl of ramen is topped with crushed peanuts and thinly sliced spring onions.

Sources

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