杂

The Chinese character 杂 (zá) is composed of two parts: the radical 艹 (cǎo), which represents grass or plants, and the phonetic component 杂 (zá). The original meaning of 杂 was "mixed" or "miscellaneous", as it was used to describe a variety of different plants growing together. Over time, the meaning of 杂 expanded to include other types of mixtures, such as a mixture of people or things. The character 杂 can also be used to describe something that is complex or intricate, as it is made up of many different parts. In modern Chinese, 杂 is commonly used in words such as 杂货 (záhuò, sundries), 杂技 (zájì, acrobatics), and 杂交 (zájiāo, hybridization).