薇
bracken; fern; crape myrtle; rose
Meanings
2 senses · 6 examplesnoun
bracken; nest grass (an edible fern or vetch mentioned in ancient texts)
archaicClassical term found in ancient texts such as the *Book of Songs* (*Shījīng*). In modern usage, this meaning survives primarily in the idiom 采薇 (cǎi wēi) and historical allusions.
We pick the bracken, we pick the bracken, and the bracken springs anew.
Boyi and Shuqi refused to eat the grain of the Zhou dynasty, hiding on Mount Shouyang and feeding on bracken instead.
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With no grain in the mountains, they could only pick bracken to survive the days.
noun
used in names of flowering plants (e.g., crape myrtle, rose)
In modern Chinese, the character 薇 rarely stands alone but appears in compound words for ornamental plants. 紫薇 refers to crape myrtle (*Lagerstroemia indica*), while 蔷薇 refers to roses (*Rosa* spp.).
The crape myrtles bloom especially brilliantly during the height of summer.
This wall is covered in climbing red roses.
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She named her daughter Yuwei, taking the meaning of crape myrtle in the rain.