莩 (fú) - Membrane inside a reed or rush & also refers to a type of plant (reed,

莩Tone 2

fú ｜ 10 strokes ｜ radical:

枫惠

莩 · fú

Membrane inside a reed or rush;

also refers to a type of plant (reed, rush);

archaic variant meaning to starve or die of hunger.

Membrane inside a reed or rushalso refers to a type of plant (reed,archaic variant meaning to starve or die of

Usage highlights

Reed membraneStarving peopleFrail connectionRush plantWidespread famineInner lining

Synonyms

  • 殍— corpse of one who died of hunger
  • 饥民— starving people
  • 饿殍— starving corpses

Antonyms

  • 丰— abundant, plentiful
  • 裕— affluent, abundant
  • 饱— full, satiated

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • The inner membrane of a reed(葭莩)
  • A type of rush plant(莩草)
  • To die of starvation(饿莩遍野)
  • A thin, fragile connection(葭莩之亲)

Collocations

  • Reed membrane(葭莩)
  • Starving people(饿莩)
  • Frail connection(莩末)
  • Rush plant(莩草)
  • Widespread famine(莩殍)
  • Inner lining(莩甲)

Idioms

  • Frail as a reed membrane(葭莩之亲)
  • Corpses of the starved(饿莩载道)
  • People dying of hunger everywhere(饿莩遍野)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • In classical Chinese, 莩 often appears in contexts describing famine and starvation, representing social suffering.
  • The character appears in botanical contexts referring to the delicate inner membrane of reeds, used metaphorically for fragile relationships.
  • Used in historical texts to describe the plight of common people during times of drought and poor harvest.

FAQ