粒
grain; granule; pellet; particle; (Tw) classifier for larger round objects (watermelon etc)
Closest English meanings
grain·particle·kernel
The Calligrapher — Lǐ Yōng 李邕
Tang running-script master famed for his stele inscriptions.
Tang calligrapher (678–747), master of running script — known for 《麓山寺碑》（李北海）. Tang dynasty
Cultural Story
粒 is a single kernel — grain reduced to its smallest countable unit. The Red Cliff Rhapsody's 沧海一粟 humbles every traveler: one grain against the blue sea. Granary clerks counted tax rice by impossible sums, yet famine memorials argued over a single 一粒 — because one grain, weighed against starvation, was moral currency.
Common words & phrases
- 颗粒 grain · particle · pellet
- 米粒 grain of rice · rice
- 粒子 particle
- 一粒 a grain · a piece
Read the story behind the character
Physics accelerators smash 粒子; air-quality reports count suspended 颗粒; parents scold children for leaving 米粒 in the bowl — finishing your rice is still quiet etiquette. Pills are counted 一粒 at a time, and nutrition labels break every snack into its grains and particles: the smallest unit, still counted.
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