柿子 (shìzi) · persimmon

Measure Word

一颗柿子 kē

Meanings

1 persimmon

About the ingredient

水果 Fruit · In season: autumn

Orange fruit of late autumn. Some kinds are crisp like an apple; others must ripen until jelly-soft, or their tannins pucker the mouth. Many are pressed flat and dried into sugar-dusted persimmon cakes.

Also called 柿

Characters

柿 is the persimmon character (木 wood radical + 市). 子 is a common noun suffix for fruits.

Examples

HSK 3

秋天的柿子特别甜。

Qiūtiān de shìzi tèbié tián.

Autumn persimmons are especially sweet.

HSK 7-9

捡软柿子捏。

Jiǎn ruǎn shìzi niē.

To pick the soft persimmon to squeeze (to bully the weak).

Tips

culture

柿子 symbolizes good luck in Chinese culture because 柿 sounds like 事 (matter/affair), so persimmons represent 事事如意 - 'may everything go as you wish.' They're popular gifts and decorations.

usage

捡软柿子捏 (pick the soft persimmon to squeeze) is a common idiom meaning to bully the weakest target. You'll hear 别拿我当软柿子 - 'don't treat me like a pushover.'