In Mandarin Chinese, 杏 (Pinyin: xìng 🔊) means “apricot”. 杏 “is one of the 1000 most commonly used words” in the Collins Chinese Dictionary, although it does not explain why it’s so extremely common.
Lawrence J. Howell explains in his Etymological Dictionary of Han/Chinese Characters:
口 mouth + 木 tree/wood → apricot (← tree fruit savored in the mouth). Compare 梅, a closely related fruit thought to be beneficial for pregnant women on account of its voluminous production.
Some interesting compounds of 杏 include
- 杏 + 仁 “kernel” = 杏仁 (xìngrén): almond
- 杏 + 月 = 杏月 (Xìngyuè): the second month of the Chinese lunar calendar
- 杏 + 林 = 杏林 (xìnglín): literally, “apricot forest”; figuratively, “fine doctor” or “medical field”. According to Wiktionary, this meaning comes
from the story of the famed physician Dong Feng [3rd c. CE], who refused to accept payments from his patients, and instead asked patients successfully cured of ailments to plant apricot trees. A forest of apricot trees came to surround his home as a testament to his skill.
- 银 / 銀 “silver”, “money” + 杏 = 银杏 / 銀杏 (yínxìng): ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba)
More photos related to apricots, almonds, ginkgo, hanzi and calligraphy @ Shutterstock.
