本 běn (bound form) root / stem / (bound form) origin / source / (bound form) one's own / this / (bound form) this / the current (year etc) / (bound form) original / (bound form) inherent / originally / initially / capital / principal / classifier for books, periodicals, files etc syn 根本 gēn běn fundamental / basic / root / simply / absolutely (not) / (not) at all / CL:個|个[ge4] syn 原因 yuán yīn cause / origin / root cause / reason / CL:個|个[ge4] syn 根 gēn root / basis / classifier for long slender objects, e.g. cigarettes, guitar strings / CL:條|条[tiao2] / radical (chemistry) syn 舌头 舌頭 shé tou tongue / CL:個|个[ge4] / enemy soldier captured for the purpose of extracting information syn 住嘴 zhù zuǐ to hold one's tongue / Shut up! syn 部位 bù wèi part (esp. of the body, but also of a vegetable, e.g. the root, or a garment, e.g. the sleeve, etc) syn 平方 píng fāng square (as in square foot, square mile, square root) 根源 gēn yuán origin / root (cause) syn 铲除 剷除 chǎn chú to root out / to eradicate / to sweep away / to abolish syn 标本 標本 biāo běn specimen / sample / the root cause and symptoms of a disease 下体 下體 xià tǐ lower body / euphemism for genitals / root and stem of plants syn 甘草 gān cǎo licorice root 啧啧 嘖嘖 zé zé to click one's tongue 母语 母語 mǔ yǔ native language / mother tongue / (linguistics) parent language 扎根 zhā gēn to take root 口误 口誤 kǒu wù to misspeak / to get one's words mixed up / a slip of the tongue 斩草除根 斬草除根 zhǎn cǎo chú gēn to cut weeds and eliminate the roots (idiom) / to destroy root and branch / to eliminate completely syn 平方根 píng fāng gēn square root 助阵 助陣 zhù zhèn to cheer / to root for 舌尖 shé jiān tip of tongue / apical 五官 wǔ guān five sense organs of TCM (nose, eyes, lips, tongue, ears 鼻目口舌耳) / facial features 唇舌 chún shé argument / words / lips and tongue syn 言不由衷 yán bù yóu zhōng to say sth without meaning it (idiom) / to speak tongue in cheek / saying one thing but meaning sth different syn 祸根 禍根 huò gēn root of the trouble / cause of the ruin syn 恶言 惡言 è yán evil tongue / malicious talk syn 失言 shī yán slip of the tongue / indiscretion / to blurt out a secret syn 除暴安良 chú bào ān liáng to root out the strong and give people peace (idiom) / to rob the rich and give to the poor syn 牙根 yá gēn root of tooth 绕口令 繞口令 rào kǒu lìng tongue-twister syn 莲藕 蓮藕 lián ǒu lotus root syn 词根 詞根 cí gēn (linguistics) root 臭骂 臭罵 chòu mà tongue-lashing / to chew out / CL:頓|顿[dun4] syn 治本 zhì běn to tackle a problem at its root / to effect a permanent solution (contrasted with 治標|治标[zhi4biao1]) syn 火舌 huǒ shé tongue of flame syn 治标 治標 zhì biāo to treat only the symptoms but not the root cause 根目录 根目錄 gēn mù lù root directory 植根 zhí gēn to take root / to establish a base 病根 bìng gēn an incompletely cured illness / an old complaint / the root cause of trouble syn 咂嘴 zā zuǐ to click one's tongue syn 木香 mù xiāng costus root (medicinal herb) / aucklandia / Saussurea costus / Dolomiaea souliei syn 根底 gēn dǐ foundation / grounding / background / what lies at the bottom of sth / root / cause syn 舌苔 shé tāi (TCM) coating on the tongue (examined for the purpose of diagnosis) 白头翁 白頭翁 bái tóu wēng root of Chinese pulsatilla / Chinese bulbul 支部 zhī bù branch, esp. grass root branches of a political party syn 根系 gēn xì root system 除根 chú gēn to root out / to eliminate the roots / to cure once and for all syn 开方 開方 kāi fāng (medicine) to write out a prescription / (math.) to extract a root from a given quantity 根本原因 gēn běn yuán yīn root cause 吐舌头 吐舌頭 tǔ shé tou to stick out one's tongue 防风 防風 fáng fēng to protect from wind / fangfeng (Saposhnikovia divaricata), its root used in TCM 穿帮 穿幫 chuān bāng (TV or movie) blooper / continuity error / (theater) to flub one's lines / unintended exposure of a body part / to be exposed (of a scheme or trick) / to reveal sth one intended to conceal through a slip of the tongue / to blow one's cover 黄芪 黃芪 huáng qí huangqi / milk vetch root (used in TCM) / Astragalus membranaceus or Astragalus mongholicus 张口结舌 張口結舌 zhāng kǒu jié shé agape and tongue-tied (idiom) / at a loss for words / gaping and speechless syn 白芷 bái zhǐ Dahurian angelica (Angelica dahurica) / root of Dahurian angelica (used in TCM) 党参 黨參 dǎng shēn poor man's ginseng (Codonopsis pilosula) / codonopsis root (used in TCM) syn 板蓝根 板藍根 bǎn lán gēn indigo woad root / root of Isatis tinctoria (used in TCM) 字根 zì gēn component of a Chinese character / (linguistics) word root / etymon 柴胡 chái hú Chinese thorowax (Bupleurum chinense) / root of Chinese thorowax (used in TCM) 啧啧称奇 嘖嘖稱奇 zé zé chēng qí to click one's tongue in wonder (idiom) / to be astonished 长舌 長舌 cháng shé loquacious / to have a loose tongue 何首乌 何首烏 hé shǒu wū Chinese knotweed (Polygonum multiflorum) / fleeceflower root 白芍 bái sháo root of herbaceous peony (Paeonia lactiflora), used in TCM 结舌 結舌 jié shé tongue-tied / unable to speak (out of surprise, embarrassment etc) 方根 fāng gēn (math.) root (as in "fourth root (∜)", 4次方根[si4ci4 fang1gen1]) syn 须根 須根 xū gēn fibrous root 咄咄 duō duō to cluck one's tongue / tut-tut 丹皮 dān pí the root bark of the peony tree 根由 gēn yóu the whys and the wherefores / the detailed story / root cause syn 紫草 zǐ cǎo red root gromwell (Lithospermum erythrorhizon) / flowering plant whose roots provide purple dye / arnebia (plant genus in family Boraginaceae) 刺五加 cì wǔ jiā manyprickle (Acanthopanax senticosus), root used in TCM 牛膝 niú xī Achyranthes bidentata (root used in Chinese medicine) 祸从口出 禍從口出 huò cóng kǒu chū Trouble issues from the mouth (idiom). A loose tongue may cause a lot of trouble. 慎言 shèn yán to speak cautiously / to guard one's tongue 玄参 玄參 xuán shēn Ningpo figwort (Scrophularia ningpoensis) / root of Ningpo figwort (used in TCM) syn 舍本逐末 捨本逐末 shě běn zhú mò to neglect the root and pursue the tip (idiom) / to neglect fundamentals and concentrate on details syn 沙参 沙參 shā shēn ladybell root (Radix adenophorae) syn 念 niàn to read / to study (a subject) / to attend (a school) / to read aloud / to give (sb) a tongue-lashing (CL:頓|顿[dun4]) / to miss (sb) / idea / remembrance / twenty (banker's anti-fraud numeral corresponding to 廿[nian4]) syn 舌 shé tongue syn 源 yuán root / source / origin syn 株 zhū tree trunk / stump (tree root) / a plant / classifier for trees or plants / strain (biology) / to involve others (in shady business) syn 啧 嘖 zé (interj. of admiration or of disgust) / to click one's tongue / to attempt to (find an opportunity to) speak syn 朗朗上口 lǎng lǎng shàng kǒu to flow right off the tongue (of lyrics or poetry) / to recite with ease / catchy (of a song) syn 巧舌如簧 qiǎo shé rú huáng lit. to have a tongue like the reed of a wind instrument (idiom) / fig. to have a glib tongue syn 藕 ǒu root of lotus syn 耍贫嘴 耍貧嘴 shuǎ pín zuǐ (coll.) to wag one's tongue / to indulge in idle gossip and silly jokes / to chatter endlessly / to speak glibly syn 块根 塊根 kuài gēn root tuber / tuberous root 芷 zhǐ angelica (type of iris) / plant root used in TCM 失口 shī kǒu slip of the tongue / indiscretion / to blurt out a secret syn 芯子 xìn zi fuse / wick / forked tongue (of a snake) syn 锄强扶弱 鋤強扶弱 chú qiáng fú ruò to root out the strong and support the weak (idiom) / to rob the rich and give to the poor syn 刨根 páo gēn lit. to dig up the root / to get to the heart of (the matter) 气根 氣根 qì gēn aerial root (botany) 侧根 側根 cè gēn lateral root (botany) 柢 dǐ foundation / root syn 能言善辩 能言善辯 néng yán shàn biàn glib of tongue (idiom) / eloquent syn 本末倒置 běn mò dào zhì lit. to invert root and branch (idiom) / fig. confusing cause and effect / to stress the incidental over the fundamental / to put the cart before the horse syn 齿根 齒根 chǐ gēn root of tooth 绕嘴 繞嘴 rào zuǐ hard to get one's mouth around / a tongue-twister syn 