萁 (qí) - Beanstalk & bean plant

萁Tone 2

qí ｜ 11 strokes ｜ radical:

七器

萁 · qí

Beanstalk;

bean plant;

fodder;

firewood;

also refers to the stalks of beans or other legumes after the beans have been harvested.

Beanstalkbean plantfodder

Usage highlights

BeanstalkBurn beanstalksBeanstalk as fuelBeanstalk and beanLegume stalk

Synonyms

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • We cooked the beans and used the stalks as fuel (豆萁).
  • The beanstalk grows quickly in the spring (豆萁).
  • He gathered beanstalks for the fire (燃萁).

Collocations

  • Beanstalk(豆萁)
  • Burn beanstalks(燃萁)
  • Beanstalk as fuel(萁爨)
  • Beanstalk and bean(煮豆燃萁)
  • Legume stalk(菽萁)

Idioms

  • Boiling beans while burning the beanstalks — fratricidal strife(煮豆燃萁)
  • Using beanstalks for cooking(萁爨)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • The character 萁 is famously used in the idiom '煮豆燃萁' (Boiling beans while burning the beanstalks), a metaphor for internal conflict or harming one's own kin, originating from a poem by Cao Zhi of the Three Kingdoms period.
  • Historically, beanstalks were a common source of fuel in agricultural societies after the beans were harvested.

FAQ