萌芽

méngyá

HSK 7

萌芽 — méngyá

1. to germinate; to sprout; to bud (of seeds or plants)

   春天来了，菜地里的绿苗开始萌芽。 chūntiān lái le càidì lǐ de lǜ miáo kāishǐ méngyá — Spring has arrived; the green shoots in the vegetable patch are beginning to sprout.

2. a bud; a sprout; (figurative) the beginning or germination of an idea/movement

   这一思想在青年中萌芽，后来发展成了一场运动。 zhè yī sīxiǎng zài qīngnián zhōng méngyá hòulái fāzhǎn chéng le yīcháng yùndòng — This idea germinated among the youth and later developed into a movement.