栽

• Pinyin: zāi
• Hanzi breakdown: 木 = wood/tree (semantic root, indicating planting); phonetic component carries the sound

Meaning

To plant (a tree or seedling); to insert into the ground. Colloquially: to fall over, or to suffer a serious setback or failure.

In agricultural contexts, 栽 refers to planting young trees or transplanting seedlings. Colloquially, 栽跟头 means to take a tumble or suffer a setback. 栽赃 means to frame someone by planting incriminating evidence.

Examples

1. 村民们在荒坡上栽了成千上万棵松树，用以固土保水。 Villagers planted tens of thousands of pine trees on the barren slopes to stabilize the soil and conserve water.
2. 他在这次投资中栽了个大跟头，损失了多年积累的大半资产。 He took a major fall on this investment and lost more than half of the assets he had built up over many years.
3. 这批果树苗已在新划拨的土地上顺利栽活，长势喜人。 These fruit tree saplings have been successfully transplanted to the newly allocated land and are growing vigorously.

Usage Guide

Context: agriculture, colloquial, setback

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 每年植树节期间，学校组织学生到郊外栽树，积极参与绿化建设。(During Arbor Day each year, the school organizes students to go to the suburbs to plant trees and participate in greening efforts.)
• 他在这场谈判中因准备不足而栽了跟头，痛失了一个关键的合作机会。(He stumbled in this negotiation due to inadequate preparation, painfully losing a critical partnership opportunity.)

Don't Say

• 把花栽进盆里 — for potted plants use 种 or 盆栽; 栽 implies planting directly into open ground or soil

Origin & History

Pictophonetic: 木 (wood/tree) + 𠂉 (phonetic component)

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal