莖

A phono-semantic compound:

艸 (grass / plant radical) — semantic indicator: plant-related meaning

巠 (jīng, watercourse; straight channel) — phonetic and semantic contributor, originally referred to a straight water channel or underground stream, emphasizing continuity, direction, and flow.

When combined with 艸, the character 莖 conveys “The straight, continuous axis through which life flows in a plant.”

Thus, 莖 is not merely “a stalk,” but the conduit of nourishment and structural integrity.

花莖 (화경) — flower stalk

葉莖 (엽경) — leaf stem

莖部 (경부) — stem section

地下莖 (지하경) — rhizome

主莖 (주경) — main stem

莖節 (경절) — node of a stem

Related characters

Botanical set:

根 — root

枝 — branch

葉 — leaf

花 — flower

果 — fruit

Structural / metaphorical relatives:

經 — warp; classic; underlying structure

幹 — trunk; main body

本 — origin; root

Notably, 巠 → 經 → 莖 share the idea of a guiding, sustaining line.

莖 represents continuity.

Root = origin

Stem = transmission

Leaf/fruit = expression

Without the stem, life cannot rise upward, even if the root is strong.

Across medicine, philosophy, and literature, 莖 symbolizes the essential structure that quietly sustains growth.

Classical Citations

《黃帝內經》 (Huangdi Neijing)

「根莖葉實，各有所主。」

“Roots, stems, leaves, and fruits each govern their own functions.”

Here, 莖 is positioned as the mediating structure between root (source) and leaf/fruit (manifestation).

《淮南子》 (Huainanzi)

「本根不固，枝莖不茂。」

“If the root is not firm, the branches and stems cannot flourish.”

莖 symbolizes the visible strength derived from an unseen source, reinforcing Daoist ideas of inner foundation and outer form.

Later Confucian commentaries use plant metaphors:

「德為本，行為莖。」

“Virtue is the root; conduct is the stem.”

Here, 莖 represents ethical continuity—the way inner virtue supports outward action.

In Buddhist scholastic writing, botanical metaphors often explain causality:

「因如根，緣如莖，果由此生。」

“Causes are like roots, conditions like stems; results arise from them.”

莖 expresses dependent origination, linking cause and effect.