莪 (é) - Artemisia & a type of plant in the wormwood family

莪Tone 2

é ｜ 10 strokes ｜ radical:

丁恩

莪 · é

Artemisia;

a type of plant in the wormwood family;

used in classical Chinese poetry to represent sorrow or grief.

Artemisiaa type of plant in the wormwood familyused in classical Chinese poetry to represent sorrow

Usage highlights

Artemisia plantRhizoma CurcumaeLù É poemArtemisia leafArtemisia rootArtemisia fragrance

Synonyms

  • 蒿— artemisia; wormwood
  • 艾— mugwort; another type of artemisia

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • The artemisia plant grows wild (莪蒿).
  • In ancient poetry, it symbolizes parental love (蓼莪).
  • The plant has medicinal properties (莪术).
  • It appears in the Classic of Poetry (诗经·小雅·蓼莪).

Collocations

  • Artemisia plant(莪蒿)
  • Rhizoma Curcumae(莪术)
  • Lù É poem(蓼莪)
  • Artemisia leaf(莪叶)
  • Artemisia root(莪根)
  • Artemisia fragrance(莪香)

Idioms

  • Lamenting the difficulty of repaying parental kindness(蓼莪之悲)
  • The artemisia mourns the loss of parents(莪蒿之思)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • The character 莪 appears in the Classic of Poetry as a symbol of filial piety and mourning.
  • In traditional Chinese medicine, 莪术 (ézhú) refers to the rhizome of Curcuma zedoaria, used for its medicinal properties.
  • The poem '蓼莪' from the Classic of Poetry uses the artemisia plant as a metaphor for the sorrow of being unable to care for one's parents.

FAQ