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湘妃竹

Mandarin · pinyin xiāng fēi zhú

same as 斑竹 bān zhú, mottled bamboo, since according to legend the spots on mottled bamboo are marks left by the tears shed by two of King Shun's 舜 Shùn concubines (Ehuang 娥皇 É huáng and Nüying 女英 Nǚ yīng, known as the Concubines of the Xiang 湘妃 Xiāng Fēi) upon learning of his death

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Characters in this entry

湘: xiāng · alternate name for Hunan
妃: fēi · wife, spouse; imperial concubine
竹: zhú · bamboo; flute; Kangxi radical 118

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Mandarin tones

1–1–2 · xiang1 fei1 zhu2

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Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

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noun

a kind of timber bamboo: spotted bamboo; mottled bamboo (Phyllostachys bambusoides f. lacrima-deae)

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