葱

• Pinyin: cōng
• Hanzi breakdown: 葱 = 艹 (grass, plant) + 悤 (phonetic component)

Meaning

Green onion; scallion; spring onion. A common aromatic vegetable used extensively in Chinese cooking.

Essential in Chinese cuisine for stir-frying, garnishing, and flavoring. 大葱 (leek-like green onion) is common in northern cooking; 小葱 (thin scallions) in southern. The phrase 葱姜蒜 (green onion, ginger, garlic) represents the holy trinity of Chinese aromatics.

Examples

1. 炒菜之前先用葱姜蒜爆锅，这样菜才够香。 Before stir-frying, first sizzle green onion, ginger, and garlic in the wok — that's what makes the dish fragrant.
2. 北方人吃煎饼喜欢卷上大葱和酱，又脆又香。 Northerners like to roll big green onions and sauce in their pancakes — crispy and aromatic.
3. 她买了一把小葱，准备回家包饺子用。 She bought a bunch of scallions to make dumplings at home.

Usage Guide

Context: cooking, food, everyday

Tone: practical

Do Say

• 多放点葱花，更香。(Add more chopped scallions — it'll be more fragrant.)
• 葱切丝还是切段？(Should I cut the green onion into shreds or sections?)

Don't Say

• 这个蛋糕需要加葱 (Green onion doesn't go in desserts — that's a savory ingredient)

Origin & History

Pictophonetic character with 艹 (grass radical) indicating it's a plant, and 悤 as phonetic component.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal