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盆栽

Mandarin · pinyin pén zāi

to grow (a plant) in a pot
potted plant (sometimes refers specifically to a bonsai plant)

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Characters in this entry

盆: pén · basin, tub, pot, bowl
栽: zāi · to cultivate, plant; to care for plants

Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

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Mandarin tones

2–1 · pen2 zai1

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Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 3 senses · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

pun4 zoi1

Cantonese word readings for 盆栽. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

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Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

verb

to pot (a plant)

noun

potted plant
bonsai (a miniaturized tree or plant)

Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history

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