mián
cotton
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我喜歡穿棉質的衣服。
wǒ xǐhuan chuān miánzhì de yīfu.
I like to wear cotton clothes.
棉花是一種天然的纖維。
miánhuā shì yī zhǒng tiānrán de xiānwéi.
Cotton is a natural fiber.
棉花糖是一種很受歡迎的零食。
miánhuātáng shì yī zhǒng hěn shòu huānyíng de lǐngshí.
Cotton candy is a very popular snack.
白棉 (bái mián)
white cotton
棉花 (mián huā)
cotton flower
麻 (má)
hemp
丝 (sī)
silk
The Chinese character 棉 (mián) for "cotton" is composed of two parts: 彡 (sī) and 屯 (tún). 彡 originally meant "silk" or "thread", and it is also used in other characters related to textiles, such as 帛 (bó) for "silk" and 絮 (xù) for "cotton wool". 屯 originally meant "to accumulate" or "to gather", and it is also used in other characters related to storage or accumulation, such as 仓 (cāng) for "granary" and 屯 (tún) for "military camp".When combined, 彡 and 屯 form the character 棉, which originally meant "to accumulate silk" or "to gather cotton". Over time, the meaning of 棉 evolved to refer specifically to cotton, and it is now the standard Chinese character for this material.The character 棉 is also used in a number of other words and phrases related to cotton, such as 棉花 (miánhuā) for "cotton flower", 棉布 (miánbù) for "cotton cloth", and 棉袄 (miánǎo) for "cotton-padded jacket".
