A bonsai is a tree kept very small on purpose, grown in a shallow pot, shaped over years by cutting roots and branches and winding wire so the little tree still looks like a full tree in nature — just in miniature. The word also names the art itself: people 'do bonsai' the way others do gardening, only slower and more exact.

A bonsai is a tree kept very small on purposeBonsai 是一種故意養得很小的樹，grown in a shallow pot種在淺盆裡，shaped over years by cutting roots and branches and winding wire經過多年修剪根和枝條、纏鐵絲慢慢塑形，so the little tree still looks like a full tree in nature — just in miniature讓這棵小樹看起來還是像自然界裡的一整棵樹，只是縮小版。The word also names the art itself這個字也可以指這門藝術本身：people 'do bonsai' the way others do gardening人們「做 bonsai」的方式就像別人做園藝一樣，only slower and more exact只是更慢、更講究精確。

It is a Japanese art (and an older East Asian pot-plant tradition behind it). In English the word is ordinary among gardeners and quite widely known; it is not slang.

It is a Japanese art它是一門日本的藝術（and an older East Asian pot-plant tradition behind it背後還有更早的東亞盆栽傳統）。In English the word is ordinary among gardeners在英文裡，這個字在園藝愛好者之間是很普通的詞，and quite widely known而且相當廣為人知；it is not slang它不是俚語。

People sometimes stretch it: any tiny version of a thing, 'a bonsai version of the shop', though that is playful and a bit tired. A normal plant in a pot is not automatically a bonsai.

People sometimes stretch it有時候大家會把這個字用得更寬：any tiny version of a thing拿來指任何東西的迷你版，'a bonsai version of the shop'像 'a bonsai version of the shop'（這家店的縮小版），though that is playful and a bit tired不過這種用法比較是開玩笑，也有點老套。A normal plant in a pot盆子裡的一般植物，is not automatically a bonsai不會自動就算是 bonsai。

Bonsai is the long work of keeping a woody plant small and tree-like. Pronounce it roughly BON-sigh, not like the Japanese cheer banzai.

Bonsai is the long work ofBonsai 是一項長期的功夫，用來 keeping a woody plant small and tree-like讓一棵木本植物保持又小又有樹的樣子。Pronounce it roughly BON-sigh大概唸成 BON-sigh，not like the Japanese cheer banzai不是像日文的萬歲歡呼 banzai 那樣唸。