桑 sāng mulberry tree
How it came to be
象形 · Pictogram
A drawing of the thing it means.
The oldest form is a picture of a mulberry tree; its leafy top later turned into the three small signs above the tree.
用法
- The mulberry tree (桑树 sāngshù), whose leaves feed silkworms.
- 沧桑 (cāngsāng), from 沧海桑田 (seas turning to mulberry fields), evokes the vicissitudes of time: 饱经沧桑 (bǎojīng-cāngsāng) means weathered by life's hardships. Also 桑拿 (sāngná) = sauna (loanword).