Writing Balance Rule: The left radical (木) should be narrower and slightly shorter, leaving ample room for the right phonetic component (每) so the character remains well-balanced and does not lean.
1. Meaning
plum tree, plum blossom
Japanese apricot (Prunus mume)surname Mei
NounNeutral#plants#flowers#nature#surnames
Sample Usage
梅花
méihuā
plum blossom
梅雨
méiyǔ
plum rains (East Asian rainy season)
2. Sound
/[meɪ̯³⁵]/Tone: 35
梅
méimei2
|
++
´(35)
=méi
Initial Consonant
m
Type: Bilabial Nasal
Sounds like: m sound as in 'mother'
Unaspirated
Airflow Tactile Test: Nasal resonance through nostrils.
Tongue & Mouth Position: Lips pressed lightly together to form a nasal sound, with the tongue resting flat on the floor of the mouth.
Final Rhyme
ei
Vowel Group: -e vowel group
Sounds like: -ei rhymes with 'way' or 'say'
Mouth Shape Guide: Pronounce as standalone vowel 'ay'.
Common Learner Trap: Keep vowel quality steady across all 4 tone contours.
Tone
T2 (35)
3 → 5 (35)
2nd Tone (Mid-Rising)
Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 2 rises from mid to high pitch, identical to the intonation of a surprised question in English like 'What?' or 'Huh?'
Sandhi: When followed by another Tone 2 syllable, it shifts to a high rising contour, though in standard multi-syllable compounds like 梅花 méihuā, it retains its full Tone 2 rising pitch.
👂
Listening trap: Beginners often mistake the mid-high vowel quality for the English word 'may', but ensure the rising tone inflection is sharp and starts from a mid-low register.
👋
Physical Tone Gesture: Raise your hand upward in a diagonal line from left to right, matching the inquiring pitch shape of 'really?' in English.
3. Writing
Topology: Left-right · Strokes: 11 strokes
Writing Balance Rule: The left radical (木) should be narrower and slightly shorter, leaving ample room for the right phonetic component (每) so the character remains well-balanced and does not lean.
4. Components
Radical木 · Tree Radical (tree, wood)
Semantic Clue (形旁):木 (Indicates that the character refers to a type of tree or plant.)
Phonetic Clue (声旁):每 (original sound: měi)
A plum tree (木) blooms every (每) single winter, providing both semantic and phonetic clues.
木 Tree/Wood radical on the left
每 Every / Phonetic indicator on the right
Phonetic Family (形声字家族)
12· Phonetic Root: 每 (měi)
5. History
Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)
Origin: Combined from the tree classifier (木) and the phonetic 'every' (每), originally denoting the specific fruit tree known for blooming resiliently in cold weather.
Semantic Evolution: From referring strictly to the plum tree and its fruit, it expanded to symbolize resilience, winter blossoms, and as a common Chinese surname.
The plum blossom (梅花) is one of the 'Four Gentlemen' of Chinese floral art, symbolizing perseverance through harsh winter.
6. Sinosphere
🇯🇵
Kanji (Japanese)
On: バイ / Kun: うめ
🇰🇷
Hanja (Korean)
매
7. Memory
Vivid Mnemonic Story
Every (每) winter, the little tree (木) bursts into gorgeous pink plum blossoms (梅) in the snow.
Phonetic Family (形声字家族)
海
hǎiseaWater component (氵) + every (每) = sea (water everywhere).