根

gēn

HSK 5

根 — gēn

1. root (of a plant); the underground part that absorbs water and nutrients

   他把树的根挖出来观察。 tā bǎ shù de gēn wāchūlái guānchá — He dug up the tree's roots to examine them.

2. basis; root cause; foundation (abstract)

   问题的根在于教育不平等。 wèntí de gēn zàiyú jiàoyù bùpíng děng — The root of the problem lies in unequal education.

3. classifier for long, thin objects (e.g. cigarettes, strings)

   他抽了一根烟。 tā chōu le yīgēn yān — He smoked a cigarette.

4. radical (in chemistry); a chemical group/fragment

   在有机化学中，自由基也称为一种根。 zài yǒujīhuàxué zhōng zìyóujī yě chēngwéi yīzhǒng gēn — In organic chemistry, a free radical is also called a 'gen' (root).