培育 meaning in English

培育 is used for raising plants, breeding new varieties of animals or crops, and in a more formal way for nurturing talent or a spirit. It sounds more written and formal than everyday words. Example: 科学家培育出了新品种的水稻。(Kēxuéjiā péiyù chū le xīn pǐnzhǒng de shuǐdào.) Scientists bred a new variety of rice.

培 (péi) has the earth radical 土, like piling soil around a young plant, and 育 (yù) means to raise or nurture, as in 教育 (jiàoyù). Put together, you heap up soil and raise something carefully until it grows.

Common mistake: Learners often write 培 with the person radical 亻 or the mouth radical 口, confusing it with 倍 (bèi) or 陪 (péi). Remember that 培 uses 土, the earth radical, because it is about soil.