yù mǐ
maïs; maïs
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我喜欢吃玉米。
wǒ xǐhuān chī yùmǐ.
I like to eat corn.
玉米是一种常见的农作物。
yùmǐ shì yī zhǒng chángjiàn de nóngzuòwù.
Corn is a common crop.
玉米的营养价值很高。
yùmǐ de yíngyǎng jiàzhí hěn gāo.
Corn has high nutritional value.
苞谷 (bāogǔ)
corn
玉蜀黍 (yùshǔshǔ)
corn
水稻 (shuǐ dào)
rice
小麦 (xiǎo mài)
wheat
The Chinese word 玉米 (yùmǐ), meaning "corn" or "maize", is composed of two characters: 玉 (yù) and 米 (mǐ). The character 玉 originally meant "beautiful stone" or "jade", and was later extended to mean "precious" or "valuable". The character 米 originally meant "rice", and was later extended to mean "grain" or "food". Thus, the compound word 玉米 literally means "precious grain" or "valuable food", reflecting the importance of corn as a staple food in Chinese culture.
