颗
usually seen in: lit. one pellet of rat feces spoiled the whole pot of soup (idiom) (一颗老鼠屎坏了一锅汤); secretory granule (分泌颗粒); fine particle (PM 2.5) (细颗粒物); kernel (颗粒)
Closest English meanings
(classifier: grain/piece)
The Calligrapher — Yán Zhēnqīng 颜真卿
Tang master of robust regular script; co-creator of the enduring 'Yan style'.
Tang calligrapher (709–784), master of regular script/running script — the Tang moral paragon whose upright, muscular regular script became the model of Chinese integrity in writing. Tang dynasty
Cultural Story
颗 builds on 頁 'head' with 果 as sound, originally meaning a small round head or lump, like a grain or a pill. 《說文》新附 gives 顆 as 小頭也, 'a little head.' It became the classifier for small round things—grains, beads, droplets—counted one by one.
Common words & phrases
- 颗粒 grain · pellet
- 一颗 one grain
- 颗数 number of pieces
Read the story behind the character
颗 is the counter for small round things: 颗粒 a grain or pellet, 一颗 one grain of rice or one star. A farmer checks the 颗粒 of wheat; a child counts 一颗 一颗 the candies; the sky holds 颗 颗 stars above the quiet roof.
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