‘苹蘩’ (píng fán) is a classical Chinese compound referring to two specific aquatic or marsh plants—‘苹’ (a type of duckweed or watermillet, often identified as *Spirodela polyrhiza*) and ‘蘩’ (a species of wormwood, commonly *Artemisia vulgaris* or *Artemisia annua*). Though distinct botanically, they appear together in ancient texts like the *Classic of Poetry* (*Shījīng*) as ritual offerings symbolizing purity, humility, and reverence in ancestral worship and temple ceremonies.

The term carries strong literary and ritual connotations; it rarely appears in modern spoken Chinese and is almost exclusively found in classical poetry, historical accounts, or scholarly discussions of Zhou-dynasty rites. Its usage evokes solemnity, antiquity, and Confucian ideals of filial piety and proper ritual conduct. Neither character alone carries this precise meaning—the compound functions as a fixed, inseparable binomial term rooted in early Chinese cosmology and sacrificial practice.