【双语】你好！中国 | 用文字写不尽的绽放之美

“花”是汉字中描绘植物繁殖器官的典型代表，其演变历程体现了汉字从象形到形声的发展。先秦时期，“花”的本字为“华”（華），甲骨文像树木花开满枝之形，突出花瓣与花萼的形态。金文延续此象形特征，篆书增加“艸”（草）部强化植物属性，隶变后逐渐定型为从“艹”（草）、“化”声的形声字——“花”，约在魏晋时期成熟并取代“华”表意。

The Chinese character "花" (huā, meaning "flower") exemplifies how Chinese characters evolved from pictographs to phono-semantic compounds. In the pre-Qin period, the original character for "flower" was "华" (huá), which in oracle bone script resembled a tree with branches full of blossoms, highlighting petals and calyxes. Bronze inscriptions preserved this pictographic form, while the seal script added the 艸 (grass) radical to emphasize its plant nature. During the clerical script period, the character gradually developed into the phono-semantic form "花", combining 艹 (grass radical) with 化 for its sound, reaching its mature form around the Wei-Jin period and eventually replacing "华" as the standard character for "flower".

“花”的本义为种子植物的有性繁殖器官，其后含义不断扩展，包括花之物（如“雪花”、“浪花”），色彩错杂（如“花布”）、视觉模糊（如“眼花”）；文化隐喻则有喻美丽女子（如“花容月貌”）、虚伪言行（如“花言巧语”），亦象征生命与繁华。

Originally, "花" referred to the sexual reproductive organs of seed plants, but over time its meaning expanded to describe physical phenomena or objects such as snowflakes (雪花) and waves (浪花), colorful or visual effects such as patterned cloth (花布) or blurred vision (眼花), and cultural metaphors including beautiful women (花容月貌) and deceitful words (花言巧语), more broadly symbolizing life, prosperity, and flourishing.

作为汉字部首，“花”或“艹”构成大量植物相关字（如“芳”、“芬”），体现自然与语言的深度交融。从《楚辞》香草到唐诗咏花，“花”字始终承载着中华文化中对自然美与生命力的赞颂，其形音义的演变亦成为汉字适应性与生命力的缩影。

As a radical, "花" or its abbreviated form "艹" appears in many plant-related characters, such as 芳 and 芬, reflecting the deep connection between nature and language. From the fragrant herbs of Songs of Chu to the flower imagery in Tang poetry, "花" has long conveyed admiration for natural beauty and vitality in Chinese culture, and its evolution in form, sound, and meaning illustrates the adaptability and enduring life of Chinese characters.

责编：勾晓庆