| 青梅竹马 | qīng méi zhú mǎ | lit. green plums and hobby-horse (idiom) / fig. innocent children's games / childhood sweethearts / a couple who grew up as childhood friends | 
| 青 | Qīng | abbr. for 青海, Qinghai Province | 
| 青 | qīng | green / blue / black / youth / young (of people) | 
| 梅 | Méi | surname Mei | 
| 梅 | méi | plum / plum flower / Japanese apricot (Prunus mume) | 
| 梅 | méi | variant of 梅 | 
| 梅 | méi | old variant of 梅 | 
| 竹 | zhú | (bound form) bamboo / Kangxi radical 118 | 
| 竹马 | zhú mǎ | bamboo stick used as a toy horse | 
| 马 | Mǎ | surname Ma / abbr. for Malaysia 马来西亚 | 
| 马 | mǎ | horse / CL:匹 / horse or cavalry piece in Chinese chess / knight in Western chess |