HSK · Level 117
45 words
Chinese word
株
Pronunciation
Pinyinzhū
Meaning
- measure wordplant
Example
花店里卖着三株多肉植物。huā diàn lǐ mài zhe sān zhū duō ròu zhí wù
The flower shop sells three succulent plants.
More examples
阳台上放着两株幼苗，他每天都给它们浇水。yáng tái shàng fàng zhe liǎng zhū yòu miáo tā měi tiān dōu gěi tā men jiāo shuǐ
Two seedlings are on the balcony, and he waters them every day.
Core concept
One rooted plant treated as a separate unit in a garden or nursery.
Common phrases
两株幼苗liǎng zhū yòu miáo
two seedlings
几株菜苗jǐ zhū cài miáo
several vegetable seedlings
一株观赏植物yì zhū guān shǎng zhí wù
one ornamental plant
Similar words
棵kē: Measures trees and other plants one at a time in ordinary use.
盆pén: Measures plants by the pots or containers they are growing in.
Definition in Chinese
表示某一独立植株的量词，常用于园艺或买卖植物时称呼单个的花、苗、菜苗等个体。biǎo shì mǒu yì dú lì zhí zhū de liàng cí cháng yòng yú yuán yì huò mǎi mài zhí wù shí chēng hū dān gè de huā miáo cài miáo děng gè tǐ
Word origin
株 (zhū, "plant") is a semantic-phonetic character built from 木 (mù, "wood") + 朱 (zhū, "vermilion"); it first referred to the base or stump of a tree and later came to mark an individual plant.
Usage tips
- English often counts plants directly with a number, but Chinese uses a measure word here for one distinct cultivated plant in gardening or sales contexts.