藤 (téng) - Vine, rattan, cane — refers to climbing plants & also used to describe objects made from such

藤Tone 2

téng ｜ 18 strokes ｜ radical:

檀婷

藤 · téng

Vine, rattan, cane — refers to climbing plants with long, flexible stems;

also used to describe objects made from such plants.

Vine, rattan, cane — refers to climbing plantsalso used to describe objects made from such

Usage highlights

Rattan chairWisteriaVine plantRattan productsClimbing vineRattan basket

Synonyms

  • 蔓— vine, creeper (more general term for creeping plants)
  • 葛— kudzu vine (specific type of vine)

Antonyms

  • 木— tree (standing woody plant vs. climbing vine)
  • 草— grass (low-lying herbaceous plant vs. climbing vine)

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • The garden is full of wisteria vines (紫藤).
  • This chair is made of rattan (藤椅).
  • He cut through the thick vines (藤蔓) with a machete.
  • Traditional Japanese flooring is called tatami (畳), which uses rush straw, but 藤 is a different plant material.

Collocations

  • Rattan chair(藤椅)
  • Wisteria(紫藤)
  • Vine plant(藤蔓)
  • Rattan products(藤制品)
  • Climbing vine(爬藤)
  • Rattan basket(藤篮)

Idioms

  • Cut the vines to get to the melon(顺藤摸瓜 — follow the vine to find the melon, meaning to track something down systematically)
  • Vines and coiling trees(藤萝缠绕)
  • Intertwined like vines(藤缠树)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • In East Asian culture, vines like wisteria (紫藤) are admired for their beauty and are common motifs in art and literature.
  • Rattan furniture and crafts have a long tradition in Southern China and Southeast Asia, valued for durability and flexibility.
  • The character appears in place names and surnames, particularly in Southern China.

FAQ