葛 (gé) - Ge — kudzu vine & a type of climbing plant

葛Tone 2

gé ｜ 12 strokes ｜ radical:

枫惠

葛 · gé

Ge — kudzu vine;

a type of climbing plant;

also used as a surname;

appears in historical place names.

Ge — kudzu vinea type of climbing plantalso used as a surname

Usage highlights

Kudzu vineKudzu rootGe fabricSurname GeGe ProvinceZhuge Liang

Synonyms

  • 藤— vine (general term for climbing plants)
  • 蔓— tendril, vine (specifically the creeping part)

Antonyms

  • 直— straight (antonym to the winding nature of vines)
  • 刚— rigid, hard (antonym to the flexible nature of vines)

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • Kudzu root is used in traditional medicine (葛根).
  • This fabric is made from kudzu fibers (葛布).
  • He has the surname Ge (葛先生).
  • The Battle of Red Cliffs occurred near Ge Province (葛洲).

Collocations

  • Kudzu vine(葛藤)
  • Kudzu root(葛根)
  • Ge fabric(葛布)
  • Surname Ge(葛姓)
  • Ge Province(葛洲)
  • Zhuge Liang(诸葛亮)

Idioms

  • Three visits to the thatched cottage (三顾茅庐) - referring to Zhuge Liang
  • Clever stratagems come to mind (锦囊妙计) - associated with Zhuge Liang
  • Calculations within the command tent (运筹帷幄) - Zhuge Liang's military wisdom

Cultural background

FAQ
  • The character originally referred to the kudzu plant, whose fibers were used to make cloth in ancient China.
  • As a surname, Ge is one of the ancient Chinese family names with historical significance.
  • The character appears in the name of Zhuge Liang (诸葛亮), the famous strategist of the Three Kingdoms period.
  • Gezhouba (葛洲坝) is a famous dam on the Yangtze River, named after Ge Island.

FAQ