瓠 (hù) - Gourd — refers to the bottle gourd or & also used in ancient texts and place names.

瓠Tone 4

hù ｜ 11 strokes ｜ radical:

枫惠

瓠 · hù

Gourd — refers to the bottle gourd or calabash plant (Lagenaria siceraria);

also used in ancient texts and place names.

Gourd — refers to the bottle gourd oralso used in ancient texts and place names.

Usage highlights

Bottle gourdGourd ladleGourd containerGourd vineGourdGourd seeds

Synonyms

  • 葫芦— calabash, bottle gourd
  • 匏— another type of gourd

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • The farmer grew bottle gourds (瓠瓜) in his garden.
  • In ancient times, dried gourds were used as containers (瓠壶).
  • Some musical instruments were made from gourds (瓠琴).
  • The gourd vine (瓠藤) climbed up the trellis.

Collocations

  • Bottle gourd(瓠瓜)
  • Gourd ladle(瓠勺)
  • Gourd container(瓠壶)
  • Gourd vine(瓠藤)
  • Gourd-shaped(瓠形)
  • Gourd seeds(瓠子)

Idioms

  • Holding a gourd to measure the sea(以瓠测海)
  • The gourd ladle hanging useless(悬瓠无用)
  • Gourd of the immortals(仙瓠)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • Gourds have been cultivated in China for thousands of years, used as food, containers, and musical instruments.
  • In Daoist symbolism, the gourd represents immortality and is associated with the Eight Immortals.
  • The character appears in ancient texts like the Book of Songs and historical records.

FAQ