jiān

蒹

Character · NounTraditional菅

thatch; reed-like grass

Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma

Meanings

1 sense · 3 examples
1.

noun

reed-like plant; thatch; specifically Themeda triandra or similar grasses mentioned in ancient texts

archaic

Primarily found in classical Chinese texts. Modern usage is mostly limited to the idiom 草菅人命.

Bái白
huá华
jiān菅
xī兮
 ，
bái白
máo茅
shù束
xī兮
 。

The white-flowered thatch, the white rushes bound together. (from the Book of Poetry)

cǎo草
jiān菅
rén人
mìng命

to treat human life as worthless (literally: to regard human life as straw)

Show 1 more example
Shān山
pō坡
shàng上
zhǎng长
mǎn满
le了
jiān菅
cǎo草
 。

The hillside was covered with thatch grass.