荤 hūn non-vegetarian food
How to remember 荤: 艹 grass + 军 army = non-vegetarian food. Tired of eating what he calls grass all week, the young soldier in the army canteen finally piles his plate with non-vegetarian food.
Component breakdown
荤 = 艹 grass + 军 army
- 艹 grass
- 军 army
Tired of eating what he calls grass all week, the young soldier in the army canteen finally piles his plate with non-vegetarian food.
How it is used
- Meat-based (non-vegetarian) food - its whole point is the contrast with 素 (sù) vegetarian: 荤菜 (hūncài) meat dishes vs 素菜 (sùcài) veggie dishes, 不吃荤 (bù chī hūn) to not eat meat.
- Extends to "off-color": 荤段子 (hūn duànzi) a dirty joke, 开荤 (kāihūn) to break a meat-free spell / (jokingly) get one's first taste of something.