蓼 (liǎo) - Polygonum — a genus of plants including knotweed & also refers to a bitter herb

蓼Tone 3

liǎo ｜ 14 strokes ｜ radical:

嘹林

蓼 · liǎo

Polygonum — a genus of plants including knotweed and smartweed;

also refers to a bitter herb;

used in classical Chinese to describe something tall or luxuriant.

Polygonum — a genus of plants including knotweedalso refers to a bitter herbused in classical Chinese to describe something tall

Usage highlights

Polygonum plantKnotweed familyBitter polygonumRed polygonumWater pepperLuxuriant growth

Synonyms

  • 辣蓼— Smartweed (spicy polygonum)

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • The polygonum plant grows near water (蓼草).
  • Bitter herbs like polygonum were used in ancient medicine (蓼科植物).
  • The poem describes luxuriant growth of polygonum (蓼蓼者莪).
  • Red knotweed flowers bloom in autumn (红蓼).

Collocations

  • Polygonum plant(蓼草)
  • Knotweed family(蓼科)
  • Bitter polygonum(苦蓼)
  • Red polygonum(红蓼)
  • Water pepper(水蓼)
  • Luxuriant growth(蓼蓼)

Idioms

  • I toil and moil(蓼虫忘辛)
  • Luxuriant is the artemisia(蓼蓼者莪)
  • Endure hardships(含辛茹苦)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • In classical poetry, 蓼 often symbolizes bitter experiences or luxuriant growth.
  • The plant appears in the Book of Songs describing parental love through plant imagery.
  • Red polygonum (红蓼) is associated with autumn scenery in Chinese painting.

FAQ