桃花
táohuā · HSK 5
Peach flower
🍑🌸 桃 = peach + 花 = flower; literally peach blossom
桃 (táo) means peach and 花 (huā) means flower or blossom. Together 桃花 names the pink blossoms of the peach tree, a classic symbol of spring and romance in Chinese poetry.
桃 — wood radical 木 + omen 兆
桃 is a semantic-phonetic compound. The wood radical 木 indicates the meaning (a tree), while 兆 (zhào) provides the phonetic clue, though the sound has shifted over time. It originally referred to the peach tree and its fruit, long associated in Chinese culture with longevity and immortality.
花 — grass radical 艹 + 化 (change/phonetic)
花 is a semantic-phonetic compound. The top 艹 (grass) signals the plant meaning, while 化 ('change, transform') gives the sound and hints at how buds change into blossoms. It originally meant 'flower' or 'blossom' and later extended to 'flowery, patterned, to spend.'