noun HSK 4
Traditional 菜園
cài yuán
vegetable garden · vegetable patch · kitchen garden

Meaning

菜园 refers to a plot of land where vegetables are grown, typically for personal consumption or local use. It combines 菜 (vegetables) and 园 (garden/orchard). This term is commonly used in both rural and urban contexts, from traditional family vegetable plots in the countryside to modern community gardens in cities.

Usage

菜园 is used in everyday conversation when discussing gardening, agriculture, or self-sufficiency. It typically refers to smaller-scale vegetable cultivation rather than large commercial farms (which would be 菜地 or 农场). Native speakers often use it when talking about growing their own food at home or in community spaces.

Examples

  1. 01
    奶奶每天早上都去菜园浇水。
    Nǎinai měi tiān zǎoshang dōu cài yuán jiāo shuǐ.
    Grandma goes to the vegetable garden to water the plants every morning.
  2. 02
    我们在后院开辟了一个小菜园
    Wǒmen zài hòu yuàn kāipì le xiǎo cài yuán.
    We created a small vegetable garden in our backyard.

Characters

Measure words

  • 一个菜园
  • piàn一片菜园

Common collocations

  • 菜园
    zài cài yuán
    in the vegetable garden
  • 菜园
    zhòng cài yuán
    to cultivate a vegetable garden
  • 家庭菜园
    jiā tíng cài yuán
    family vegetable garden
  • 打理菜园
    cài yuán
    to tend to the vegetable garden

Origin

The compound combines 菜 (vegetable) with 园 (garden/enclosed growing space), forming a straightforward descriptive term that has been in use for centuries in Chinese agricultural contexts.

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