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Chinese evergreen

Chinese evergreen

5.9
A plant with large green or patterned leaves that grows well in low light indoors
  • noun
  • /ˈtʃaɪniːz ˈɛvɚˌɡrɛvən/
translation icon : aglaonema
  • She decorated her office with a Chinese evergreen to bring in some greenery.

Examples

  • The beautiful Chinese evergreen adds a touch of elegance to my living room.

  • Because of its tolerance to shade, a Chinese evergreen is a popular choice for beginners in plant care.

  • The Chinese evergreen is known for thriving in low-light conditions, making it ideal for homes.

  • I bought a beautiful Chinese evergreen for my living room.

  • The Chinese evergreen thrives in low light conditions.

  • To care for your Chinese evergreen, keep it in a spot with indirect sunlight and water it regularly.

  • With its large leaves, the Chinese evergreen is an ideal plant for enhancing indoor spaces.

Synonyms

Aglaonema
vsChinese evergreen
  • Specialized
9.9

A tropical houseplant with thick glossy leaves often grown indoors

is the ornamental, common label rather than the botanical group
Aglaonema modestum
vsChinese evergreen
  • Specialized
9.9

A tropical plant with large green and white leaves often grown as a houseplant that does well in low light

refers broadly to similar indoor ornamental plants rather than one species

Surface Forms

Morphology

Chinese + evergreen

The phrase is a straightforward adjective + noun composition: 'Chinese' indicates origin/association and 'evergreen' denotes a plant that stays green year-round, so the overall meaning (a plant associated with China that remains green) is directly derivable from the parts. This is a common, transparent noun phrase pattern cross-linguistically and would be understood by an average B1 learner who knows both constituent words.

Etymology

Chinese evergreen combines Chinese and evergreen. One simple idea is that the plant comes from China and 'evergreen' means 'always green', so the name gives a clear image of a green plant that keeps its leaves all year and is a good houseplant.