What is the difference between 栽 and 种?

Both mean 'to plant,' but 栽 often refers to transplanting seedlings or young plants, while 种 is more general for sowing seeds or planting.

How is 栽 used in the context of failure?

栽 can mean 'to fall' or 'to suffer a setback,' as in 栽跟头 (suffer a setback) or simply 栽了 (to be ruined or fail).

Is 栽 commonly used in names?

Rarely used in modern names due to its negative connotations of failure and framing, though the planting meaning could be positive in agricultural contexts.

栽Tone 1

zāi ｜ 10 strokes ｜ radical:

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栽 · zāi

to plant;

to grow;

to cultivate;

to set up;

to impose;

to fall (as in fall down);

to frame (someone)

to plantto growto cultivate

Usage highlights

to plant treesto cultivate flowersto fall downto frame someoneto impose a punishmentto transplant seedlings

Synonyms

种— to plant, to grow
植— to plant, to cultivate
倒— to fall down

Antonyms

拔— to pull out, to uproot
收— to harvest, to collect
站— to stand

Usage & contexts

Examples

He planted trees in the garden (在花园里栽树).
The company invested heavily in new equipment (公司大量栽资于新设备).
The child fell and scraped his knee (孩子栽倒了，擦伤了膝盖).
They tried to frame him for the crime (他们试图栽赃给他).

Collocations

to plant trees(栽树)
to cultivate flowers(栽花)
to fall down(栽倒)
to frame someone(栽赃)
to impose a punishment(栽刑)
to transplant seedlings(栽苗)

Idioms

To suffer a setback or fall(栽跟头)
To frame someone with false evidence(栽赃陷害)
To plant flowers without intention to grow willows(有意栽花花不发，无心插柳柳成荫)
To fall head over heels(倒栽葱)

Cultural background

FAQ

The character embodies both agricultural (planting) and metaphorical (failure, framing) meanings.
In Chinese culture, planting represents cultivation, growth, and long-term investment.
The 'falling' meaning often appears in idioms about setbacks and failures in life.

栽 (zāi) - to plant & to grow