麥 (mài) - Wheat — cereal grain & barley

麥Tone 4

mài ｜ 11 strokes ｜ radical:

伦妙

麥 · mài

Wheat — cereal grain;

barley;

oats;

general term for cereal crops.

Wheat — cereal grainbarleyoats

Usage highlights

WheatBarleyOatsWheat flourHarvest wheatWheat field

Synonyms

  • 穀— grain, cereal (general term)
  • 糧— food grains, provisions

Antonyms

  • 稻— rice (contrasting staple grain)

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • Farmers harvest wheat in summer (收麥).
  • This bread is made from wheat flour (麥粉).
  • Oatmeal is a healthy breakfast (燕麥片).
  • Barley is used in beer production (大麥).

Collocations

  • Wheat(小麥)
  • Barley(大麥)
  • Oats(燕麥)
  • Wheat flour(麥粉)
  • Harvest wheat(收麥)
  • Wheat field(麥田)

Idioms

  • To distinguish wheat from barley(不辨菽麥)
  • Wheat in two seasons(麥秀兩歧)
  • Wheat waves in the wind(麥浪翻滾)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • One of the Five Grains in Chinese agricultural tradition, essential to food culture.
  • Historically associated with northern Chinese agriculture and diet.
  • Appears in classical texts like the Book of Songs describing harvest scenes.

FAQ