荷叶 (héyè) · lotus leaf

Measure Word

一片荷叶 piàn

Meanings

1 lotus leaf

About the ingredient

调料 Seasonings

Large round lotus leaves, sold fresh in summer and dried, and soaked soft before use. Wrapped around sticky rice, pork or a whole chicken for steaming or baking, they lend the food their scent and are peeled off, not eaten.

Used in 3 dishes

糯米鸡 nuòmǐjī

叫化鸡 jiàohuājī

荷叶饭 héyèfàn

Characters

Examples

HSK 4

用荷叶包着的米饭很香。

Yòng héyè bāo zhe de mǐfàn hěn xiāng.

Rice wrapped in lotus leaves smells fragrant.

HSK 5

青蛙坐在荷叶上。

Qīngwā zuò zài héyè shàng.

The frog sits on a lotus leaf.

Tips

culture

Lotus leaves are central to Chinese cuisine and aesthetics: 荷叶饭 (lotus-leaf rice) and 叫花鸡 (beggar's chicken) are wrapped in them; in poetry and painting, dewdrops on a lotus leaf symbolize purity uncorrupted by mud - 出淤泥而不染.