什麼是菜心？

家人、朋友聚餐，若吃中餐，菜單上常會有菜心，但這個菜心似乎像個孫悟空，型態各異，讓人說不準。

根據教育部《重編國語辭典修訂本》網路版，菜心有二義：①芥菜的粗莖。②某些植物的莖可供醃漬、炒食來佐餐，此莖通稱為「菜心」[按：定義風格前後不一，宜統一]。

國語日報社的《新編國語日報辭典》說是 "芥菜等的莖削去皮剩下的可供食用的部分" [按：此定義文句拗口，宜改寫]。

北京商務印書館的《現代漢語詞典》定義為 "二年生草本植物，葉寬卵形或橢圓形，花柔嫩，是常見蔬菜"。

三民書局的《大辭典》、漢語大詞典出版社的《漢語大詞典》均未收。

上海辭書出版社的《辭海》應該是印刷詞典中最詳盡的了："菜心" (Brassica campestris ssp. chinensis var. utilis) 即 "菜薹"，亦稱 "菜尖"。十字花科。一年生草本 [按：《現代漢語詞典》說是二年生草本，到底孰是孰非？]。葉寬卵圓形或橢圓形，綠或黃綠色，葉緣波狀，基部具裂片或無。葉柄狹長，橫切面為半月形。抽生的花莖 (即菜薹) 橫切面為圓形，綠或黃綠色。生長迅速，抽薹力強。食嫩薹和葉。為中國華南地區的主要蔬菜，周年栽培供應。以廣州所產最為著名。芸薹屬白菜亞種中以食用嫩花薹的一類蔬菜，如油菜薹 (白菜型)、紫菜薹、菜心等也通稱為菜薹 [按：菜心 = 菜薹 = 菜心，此乃循環定義，為詞典學之大忌]。

看來，這 "菜心" 似乎分成兩大類，如何翻成英文本來是個難題，想不到剛推出的線上版《牛津英語詞典》(The Oxford English Dictionary Online) 竟以廣東話的音譯 choy sum 將之納為新詞，中文銷給英語的詞彙又增列一條！

《牛津英語詞典》的處理循著《辭海》的脈絡，乍看之下還算到位。菜心，管他是哪一種菜心，從今天起，我們英語就說 choy sum 吧！

choy sum, n.

Pronunciation: Brit. /tʃɔɪ 'sʌm/ , U.S. /tʃɔɪ 'səm/
Forms: 19– choi sam, 19– choisam, 19– choi sum, 19– choisum, 19– choy sam, 19– choysam, 19– choy sum, 19– choysum, 19– tsoi sam, 19– tsoi sum.
Etymology: < Chinese (Cantonese) choi sàm (Meyer-Wempe transcription ts'oi sam) < choi vegetable + sum heart. Compare bok choy n.

A kind of Chinese cabbage, Brassica rapa (Parachinensis group), with soft rounded mild-tasting leaves and small edible yellow flowers. Also (in Chinese cooking): the tender heart and flowering stems of some similar vegetables such as bok choy (Chinensis group), turnip rape (Oleifera group), and spinach mustard (Perviridis group).

1932 W. L. Brosch Travel Trails 23 We must try a dinner of Bow Yee Soup, broiled squab, bawlaw obpin, fuyee choysum, and steamed rice.
1939 Hong Kong Naturalist Aug. 199 The cabbage worm feeds on the leaf of a number of cultivated crucifers such as Choi Sum..(Brassica sp.).
1941 J. N. Milsum & D. H. Grist Veg. Gardening Malaya xii. 122 Choy Sam (Cantonese), Brassica rapa var. Spinach Mustard. The leaf-stalk is long and green surmounted with a rounded leaf-blade which is untoothed.
1963 Jin-Bee Ooi Land, People & Econ. in Malaya Plate 29 (caption) This farm specializes in the production of green, leafy vegetables, mainly choy sam (Brassica chinensis), for the local markets.
1983 N.Y. Times (Nexis) 28 Oct. c1 Along Main Street, you can find such comprehensive Asian markets as Kam Sen..for Chinese vegetables such as bok choy, choi sum and Tianjin cabbage.
1985 R. Fernandez Malaysian Cookery 155 You can use Choy Sum (flower spinach) instead of Chinese cabbage.
2008 S. Fallon Hong Kong & Macau (Lonely Planet) 41 Cantonese people are mad for vegetables, especially greens, and consume great quantities of choy-sam (rape or flowering cabbage).