菟絲子

简 菟丝子 · 繁 菟絲子
Mandarin · pinyin tù sī zǐ

Meanings

  1. dodder (Cuscuta sinensis, a parasitic vine with seeds used in medicine)
Full entryShow on map

Characters in this entry

菟
tù · dodder; creeper
絲
Look up this written character
子
zǐ · offspring, child; fruit, seed of; first earthly branch
丝
sī · silk; fine thread; wire; strings
Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

Explore the spelling

Mandarin tones

4–1–3 · tu4 si1 zi3

Compare attested words with these syllables ↗

Dictionary tones. Connected speech can change their realization.

Connected dictionary

3character links
Explore word families ↗Compare pronunciations ↗Open character structure ↗
Counts describe dictionary records, not word frequency or semantic similarity. Source identities stay separate.

Read this spelling in Classical texts

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.

菟絲子 · find source passages ↗ · 菟丝子 · find source passages ↗

Explore Classical grammar ↗

Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

tou3 si1 zi2

Cantonese word readings for 菟絲子. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

CanCLID contributors · CC BY 4.0 · source & license · Data pack

Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

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

noun

  1. (traditional Chinese medicine) dodder seed

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

Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source & license · Data pack