xī guā
watermelon
我喜欢吃西瓜。
wǒ xǐhuān chī xīguā.
I like to eat watermelon.
西瓜很甜。
xīguā hěn tián.
Watermelon is very sweet.
夏天吃西瓜很凉爽。
xiàtiān chī xīguā hěn liángshuǎng.
Eating watermelon in the summer is very refreshing.
西瓜 (xīguā)
watermelon
甜瓜 (tiánguā)
sweet melon
冬瓜 (dōng guā)
winter melon
南瓜 (nán guā)
pumpkin
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The Chinese word 西瓜 (xīguā) for watermelon is composed of two characters: 西 (xī) and 瓜 (guā). The character 西 originally meant "west" and was used to refer to the Western Regions, which were located to the west of China. In ancient times, watermelons were introduced to China from the Western Regions, so they were called 西瓜, meaning "melons from the west". The character 瓜 (guā) means "melon" or "gourd". It is a pictograph that depicts a melon with a stem. The combination of 西 and 瓜 creates the word 西瓜, which specifically refers to watermelon.
