Chinese word

萌芽

Pronunciation

Pinyinméng yá

Meaning

  • verbgerminate

Example

种子一周后开始萌芽。zhǒng zi yì zhōu hòu kāi shǐ méng yá

The seed begins to germinate after a week.

Illustration for 萌芽 (germinate)

More examples

改革的念头在年轻人心中萌芽。gǎi gé de niàn tou zài nián qīng rén xīn zhōng méng yá

The thought of reform germinated in the hearts of young people.

Core concept

The first small shoot emerges, showing that a plant or a new development has begun to grow.

Common phrases

  • 心中萌芽xīn zhōng méng yá

    germinate in one's heart

  • 萌芽了méng yá le

    sprout

Similar words

发芽fā yá: Start putting out shoots, as a seed or plant does.
出现chū xiàn: Come into view or become clearly present.
开始kāi shǐ: Begin an action, process, or state.
形成xíng chéng: Gradually take shape as a thing or state.

Definition in Chinese

植物从种子或枝条上长出嫩芽，延伸用于指事物出现发展的最初迹象。zhí wù cóng zhǒng zi huò zhī tiáo shàng zhǎng chū nèn yá yán shēn yòng yú zhǐ shì wù chū xiàn fā zhǎn de zuì chū jì xiàng

Word origin

萌 (méng, "to sprout") + 芽 (yá, "bud") combine to form a word for new growth, which naturally extends from plants to developing ideas and feelings.

Usage tips

  • The word works as a verb for plants beginning to sprout and as a noun for the earliest visible stage of a new idea or trend.

Other meanings

  • sproutingnoun
  • germnoun

Opposites

  • 枯萎kū wěiwiltverb
  • 凋谢diāo xièwitherverb

Related words

  • 萌芽期méng yá qīgermination stagenoun
  • 萌芽状态méng yá zhuàng tàiembryonic statenoun

Word lists with this word