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苹
píng[ping2]Tone 2

apple (in compound words)

HSK 3
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蘋
Multiple Readings (多音字):
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English · apple (in compound words)

Cached lesson
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Topology:Top-bottom
Strokes:8
Writing Balance Rule: The top grass radical (艹) should be written wide and flat, while the bottom phonetic part (平) is balanced squarely underneath without exceeding the top's width.
Simplification Logic: The traditional form 蘋 features water and duckweed elements combined with a complex phonetic, which was simplified in modern Chinese by replacing the complex phonetic structure under the grass radical with the simpler character 平 (píng).
1. Meaning

duckweed / apple (bound morpheme)

floating aquatic plant (original botanical meaning)used almost exclusively in compound words like 苹果 (apple)
NounNeutralBound morpheme#botany#nature#fruits
Sample Usage
  • 这个苹果很大。
    Zhège píngguǒ hěn dà.
    This apple is very big.
  • 苹果树上有很多果实。
    Píngguǒ shù shàng yǒu hěnduō guǒshí.
    There are many fruits on the apple tree.
2. Sound
/[pʰiŋ³⁵]/Tone: 35
苹
píngping2
++
´(35)
=píng
Initial Consonant
p
Type: Aspirated Bilabial
Sounds like: p as in 'pat'
Aspirated
Airflow Tactile Test: Strong puff of air! A tissue held before lips MUST fly forward.
Tongue & Mouth Position: Lips pressed together firmly, then released with a strong puff of air.
Final Rhyme
ing
Vowel Group: -i vowel group
Sounds like: -ing rhymes with 'sing'
Mouth Shape Guide: Pronounce as standalone vowel 'eeng'.
Common Learner Trap: Keep vowel quality steady across all 4 tone contours.
Tone
T2 (35)
2nd Tone (Mid-Rising)
Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 2 rises from middle to high pitch, matching the intonation of an English question word like 'Huh?' or 'What?'
👂
Listening trap: Do not confuse the unvoiced 'p' initial with the voiced 'b' sound in bing.
👋
Physical Tone Gesture: A rising hand gesture starting from a medium pitch and sweeping upward like an inquiring question.
3. Writing

Topology: Top-bottom · Strokes: 8 strokes

Writing Balance Rule: The top grass radical (艹) should be written wide and flat, while the bottom phonetic part (平) is balanced squarely underneath without exceeding the top's width.

Simplification Logic: The traditional form 蘋 features water and duckweed elements combined with a complex phonetic, which was simplified in modern Chinese by replacing the complex phonetic structure under the grass radical with the simpler character 平 (píng).

4. Components

Radical 艹 · Grass Radical (Plants, herbs, vegetation)

Semantic Clue (形旁): 艹 (Indicates plants or vegetation (originally referring to floating aquatic plants like duckweed).)

Phonetic Clue (声旁): 平 (original sound: píng)

The grass radical on top (艹) sits above the flat phonetic base (平), showing a plant that grows flat or floats across calm water.

  • 艹 Grass/plant semantic classifier
  • 平 Phonetic indicator providing the sound 'píng'
5. History
Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)

Origin: Originally referred to duckweed (蘋), a floating aquatic plant combining the grass radical (艹) with the phonetic element (平). Over time, the simplified form 苹 was adopted and became universally known for its use in 苹果 (apple).

Semantic Evolution: From ancient times denoting an aquatic weed, the character transitioned through phonetic borrowing and modern simplification to become the standard character used for apples.

  • The traditional character 蘋 specifically designated duckweed in classical Chinese texts.
  • Modern usage almost exclusively restricts 苹 to the fruit compound 苹果.
6. Sinosphere
7. Memory
Vivid Mnemonic Story

Imagine floating on a flat (平) raft made of soft grass (艹) in an orchard filled with sweet, hanging apples (苹).

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)
评
píngto evaluate / to appraiseUses speech radical (讠) instead of grass radical (艹).
坪
píngflat land / plateauUses earth radical (土) instead of grass radical (艹).
瓶
píngbottle / vaseUses tile radical (瓦) instead of grass radical (艹).
Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)
萍(píng)
萍 has the water radical (氵) because it refers to floating water weeds, whereas 苹 has the grass radical (艹).
8. Mastery
Active Recall Challenge
我每天都吃一个[___]。
Clue: píng guǒ
Common Learner Pitfall

Trying to use 苹 as a standalone word; in modern Mandarin, it almost always appears paired with 果 as 苹果.

Memory Prompts
Recognition: When you see 苹 combined with 果, what fruit does it spell?
Production: How do you write the character for 'apple' using the grass radical and the flat phonetic?
Real-World Video Context

Watch authentic native speakers pronounce and explain this word in real-world YouTube videos.

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苹píngapple (in compound words)
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