种



魅力汉子ON THE CHARACTER

种

It takes all sorts

种：只问耕耘

A utumn rain poured down on 900 rural poor as they desperately prayed for it to stop. Escorted by two m ilitary off cers， they were expected to arrive at Yuyang （northeast of present day Beijing）to serve as guards for the frontier of the Q in Em pire （221 BCE - 206 BCE）. Roads were fooded and they had lost all hope of making it on time. The punishment for tardiness was death， not an uncommonsentence under the rule of their ferocious emperor who moved nearly 15 percent of the empire's entire population to build the Great Wall， a luxury palace， and a grand mausoleum. Just as their bleak future began to set in， Chen Sheng （陈胜）， a m inor leader of the group， started to preach to his peers： “王侯将相，宁有种乎！” meaning，“K ings， lords， generals， and m inisters， it's not the noble breed that made them！” Such a statement was shocking， but it worked. This group of poor peasants became rebels and Chen became China's own Spartacus. Though ultimately defeated， Chen's famous slogan rang across the country， inspiring thousands upon thousands of repressed to join the rebellion， which weakened the rule of the Qin that would crumble three years later.

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This historical tale leads us to our character of the day， 种， which has several pronunciations and meanings. When pronounced zhǒng， as in the tale， it means “breed， seed， or species”； when it's pronounced zhòng， it means “to p lant， sow”. On the left side， the 禾 （hé， standing grain，especially rice） represents its relationship to plants. The right radical 中 （zhōng） was in its traditional form 重 （zhòng） but has since been simp lifed； In both case： it represents the character's pronunciation.

The original meaning of 种 （zhòng） is “to sow， grow， plant， and cultivate”： 种花（zhònghuā， to p lant fowers）； 种菜 （zhòngcài， to plant vegetables）； 种田 （zhòngtián， to cultivate the feld）. The next time you p lant something， here's some musing on karma for your garden： 种瓜得瓜，种豆得豆 （zhòng guā dé guā, zhòng dòu dé dòu. Plant melons， you get melons； sow beans， you get beans； as you sow，so w ill you reap）.

Sometimes， the return can be long-term， as in the idiom 前人种树，后人乘凉 （qiánrén zhòng shù, hòurén chéngliáng. While earlier generations plant the trees， posterity will enjoy the shade）.

种 can also be used in situations other than farming； for instance， to have a dental implant is 种牙 （zhòngyá）； to have a vaccination is 接种疫苗 （jiēzhòng yìmiáo）， or种疫苗 （zhòng yìmiáo） for short. You can also“plant” something abstract， such as in the overly dramatic case of 你在我的心里种下了爱情，我在你的心里种下的是仇恨。（Nǐ zài wǒ de xīnli zhòngxiàle àiqíng， wǒ zài nǐ de xīnli zhòngxià de shì chóuhèn.） O r， “You p lant love in m y heart， but what I have planted in your heart is hatred.”

As mentioned before， when 种 is pronounc with the third tone， as in zhǒng， it turns into a noun. For examp le， you have 种子 （zhǒngzi，seeds） and 花种 （huāzhǒng， fower seeds）. See can also be f gurative， such as a seeded playe or 种子选手 （zhǒngzi xuǎnshǒu）， and a seeded team， or 种子队 （zhǒngziduì）.

Although originally connected with p lants，the character can also generally refer to animals and people to mean species， or 物种（wùzhǒng）. W hen it comes to race， the word to use is 种族 （zhǒngzú）， more academ ically known as 人种 （rénzhǒng）.

When a species dies out， which is sadly all too often these days， it's called 绝种 （juézhǒng For instance， 科学家在研究恐龙为什么会绝种。（Kēxuéjiā zài yánjiū kǒnglóng wèi shénme huì juézhǒng. Scientists are researching why dinosaurs went extinct.）Also， as you m ight imagine， the character is also involved in quite a few insults. Calling someone a 孬种 （nāozhǒng） is to say they hav no guts， a coward. In a confrontation， you wi probab ly hear the aggressive p rovocation， 有种的站出来！（Yǒuzhǒng de zhàn chūlái！）， or “Let anyone who has guts step forward！”

种 can also typify sub jects， meaning “kind，style， sort， and type” as in 种类 （zhǒnglèi）. For any special type， use the word 特种 （tèzhǒng）such as 特种部队 （tèzhǒng bùduì， special forc The character is also a measure word， for instance， 汉语是一种美丽的语言 （Hànyǔ sh zhǒng m0ilì de yǔyán）， which means “Chinese i a type of beautiful language.”

From plants， animals， peop le， and more， 种a testament to the colorful world in which we live. - HUANG WEIJIA （黄伟嘉） AND lIU JUE （刘珏）