莖 / 茎
jīng
The English word "stem" translates to Chinese as 莖 / 茎 (jīng). Wiktionary also lists 樹幹 / 树干 (shùgàn).
Meaning: botany: above-ground stalk of a vascular plant (noun)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 莖 / 茎 | jīng |
| 樹幹 / 树干 | shùgàn |
In a botanical context, 莖 / 茎 refers to the stem of a vascular plant. It is the standard botanical term used in biology to describe the stem of a plant.
Which one should you use?
While 莖 / 茎 refers to the botanical stem of any vascular plant, 樹幹 / 树干 specifically refers to the trunk of a tree.
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization is jīng.
Did you know?
- The word for stem 莖 shares an ancient linguistic root with the word for 'foot' in Tibetan and the word for 'lower leg' 脛 in Old Chinese.
- The word 幹 (the second character in 樹幹) also means 'trunk' or 'core', but it can also mean 'to do' or 'to work' in different contexts.
- In traditional Chinese medicine, different parts of the 莖 of specific plants are categorized by their 'temperature' or 'energy' rather than just their botanical species.
Examples in context
- 我学习植物学时，了解了各种茎的特点。When I studied botany, I learned about the characteristics of various stems.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “stem” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 莖, CC BY-SA 4.0.
