蔬

By extension, any cultivated or wild leafy plants used as food.

It also carries the sense of plain fare or simple, natural food in contrast to meat dishes.

Thus, 蔬食 means “vegetarian food,” and 蔬菜 means “vegetables.”

In literary use, 蔬 can metaphorically signify simplicity and frugality — as in “蔬食淡飯” (“plain vegetable meals”), the symbol of a modest and virtuous life.

Phono-semantic compound consisting of:

艸 (풀 초) — semantic component, indicating plants or vegetation.

疏 (소통할 소) — phonetic component, giving the sound so and suggesting looseness or sparseness.

Originally, the character meant loosely growing herbs or greens, later generalizing to all edible plants grown for food.

In Shuowen Jiezi (說文解字):

「蔬，菜也。从艸，疏聲。」

“蔬 means ‘vegetable’; composed of 艸 (‘grass’) and the sound 疏.”

This definition establishes its earliest sense as herbaceous food plants, as distinct from grains (穀) and fruits (果).

蔬菜 (소채) — vegetables

蔬食 (소식) — vegetarian fare; plain food

菜蔬 (채소) — edible greens, often interchangeable order

蔬果 (소과) — vegetables and fruits

蔬園 (소원) — vegetable garden

蔬圃 (소포) — cultivated patch for greens

蔬田 (소전) — field for vegetables

蔬粥 (소죽) — vegetable porridge; frugal meal

蔬香 (소향) — fragrance of fresh greens

The Kangxi Dictionary (康熙字典) glosses:

「蔬，菜也。凡蔬茹者，皆可食之草也。」

“蔬 means vegetable; all herbaceous plants that can be eaten.”

In early agrarian texts such as Qimin Yaoshu (齊民要術), 蔬 denoted a wide range of cultivated greens including cabbage, leek, onion, spinach, and radish — the staples of common households.

In poetic and moral writing, 蔬 was also opposed to 肉 (meat), as in “蔬食而安貧” (“to live simply on vegetables and be content in poverty”), an ideal of the junzi (君子) who values virtue over luxury.

蔬 embodies the Confucian and Daoist esteem for natural, unadorned living.

In monastic Buddhism, to “eat 蔬” signifies compassion and detachment from desire.

In Daoist imagery, it evokes the pure sustenance of nature, unspoiled by human artifice.

Thus, 蔬 became not only a dietary term but a moral metaphor — representing simplicity, purity, and harmony with nature.

“A bowl of vegetables, if shared in contentment,

is richer than feasts of gold.” — 古諺 (Ancient saying)

In Buddhist and Daoist contexts, 蔬食 or 蔬羹 refers to meatless food prepared with compassion and purity, reflecting a life of moderation.

In Confucian literature, 蔬飯菜羹 often appears as an emblem of humility and moral virtue, e.g.:

「蔬食菜羹，甘如醴也。」 (論語·鄉黨)

“A simple meal of vegetables and soup can taste as sweet as wine” (Analects).

Here, 蔬 symbolizes contentment through simplicity — the joy found not in abundance, but in moderation.

蔬 is a phono-semantic compound (艸 + 疏) meaning “vegetables” or “edible greens.”

From its root sense of “loosely growing herbs,” it came to denote all plant-based foods and symbolically the virtue of simple living.

In Confucian, Buddhist, and Daoist thought alike, 蔬 expresses natural nourishment, modesty, and inner peace — the sustenance of both body and spirit.