芹 (qín) - celery & a humble gift or offering (in classical usage)

芹Tone 2

qín ｜ 7 strokes ｜ radical: 艹

器情

芹 · qín

celery;

a humble gift or offering (in classical usage);

modest contribution.

celerya humble gift or offering (in classical usage)modest contribution.

Usage highlights

celerywild celeryhumble offeringcelery stalkcelery leavescelery root

Synonyms

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • I bought some celery (芹菜) at the market.
  • This dish contains celery (芹菜).
  • He offered his humble opinion (芹献).
  • The wild celery grows by the stream (水芹).

Collocations

  • celery(芹菜)
  • wild celery(水芹)
  • humble offering(芹献)
  • celery stalk(芹茎)
  • celery leaves(芹叶)
  • celery root(芹根)

Idioms

  • A humble offering(芹曝之献)
  • Wild man's offering of sunning(野人献芹)
  • A modest gift(一芹之微)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • In classical Chinese, '芹' symbolizes a humble gift or modest contribution, often used self-deprecatingly when presenting something to a superior.
  • The phrase '野人献芹' (the rustic offers celery) comes from a Zhuangzi story about a poor man who thought wild celery was a delicacy and offered it to his lord, not realizing it was common fare.

FAQ