tù

菟

Character · Noun

dodder plant; rabbit

Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma

Meanings

3 senses · 5 examples
1.

noun

dodder (Cuscuta chinensis), a parasitic plant used in traditional Chinese medicine

Commonly used in the compound 菟丝子 (tùsīzi). The plant is parasitic, often wrapping around host plants like beans.

Tù菟
sī丝
zǐ子
shì是
yī一
zhǒng种
cháng常
yòng用
de的
bǔ补
shèn肾
zhōng中
yào药
 。

Dodder seeds are a commonly used traditional Chinese medicine for tonifying the kidneys.

Tián田
lǐ里
de的
dòu豆
miáo苗
bèi被
tù菟
sī丝
zǐ子
chán缠
zhù住
le了
 。

The bean sprouts in the field were entwined by dodder.

2.

noun

variant of 兔 (rabbit, hare)

archaic

Archaic variant used in classical texts. Often seen in compounds like 白菟 (white rabbit) or 玄菟 (ancient place name/commandery).

Bái白
tù菟
sù素
jiū鸠
 ，
yóu游
jūn君
yuán园
tíng庭
 。

White rabbits and plain doves roam in your garden courtyard.

Xuán玄
tù菟
jùn郡
shì是
Hàn汉
dài代
de的
yī一
gè个
biān边
jùn郡
 。

Xuantu Commandery was a frontier commandery of the Han Dynasty.

3.

noun

edible wild vegetable (young sprouts of wintersweet or similar)

archaic

Rare literary term. 菟葵 refers to the young sprouts of certain plants that were gathered as vegetables in ancient times.

Yuán园
zhōng中
yǒu有
tù菟
kuí葵
 ，
cǎi采
zhī之
kě可
wéi为
shū蔬
 。

There are wild mallows in the garden; picking them can serve as vegetables.