韭 (jiǔ) - Chinese chives & leek

韭Tone 3

jiǔ ｜ 9 strokes ｜ radical:

傑君

韭 · jiǔ

Chinese chives;

leek;

scallion;

a vegetable of the Allium genus with flat leaves, commonly used in Chinese cuisine.

Chinese chivesleekscallion

Usage highlights

Chinese chiveschive flowerschive pancakeschive dumplingsstirchive and tofu

Synonyms

  • 韭菜— Chinese chives (the most common term)
  • 韭黄— yellow chives (blanched variety)

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • I bought some fresh chives (韭菜) at the market.
  • Chive pancakes (韭菜盒子) are a popular snack.
  • He planted chives in his garden (种韭菜).
  • Chive and egg dumplings (韭菜鸡蛋饺子) are delicious.

Collocations

  • Chinese chives(韭菜)
  • chive flowers(韭菜花)
  • chive pancakes(韭菜盒子)
  • chive dumplings(韭菜饺子)
  • stir-fried chives(炒韭菜)
  • chive and tofu(韭菜豆腐)

Idioms

  • Cut chives grow again(割韭菜)
  • Spring chives after rain(雨后春韭)
  • Chive box thinking(韭菜盒子思维)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • 韭 has been cultivated in China for over 3,000 years and is mentioned in ancient texts like the Book of Songs.
  • In Chinese culture, chives symbolize resilience and regeneration because they grow back quickly after being cut.
  • The character 韭 is one of the few Chinese characters that pictographically represents the plant itself, showing clumps of leaves growing from the ground.

FAQ