stalk

Compared meaning: the supporting stem of a plant (noun).

比较义项：植物的茎，支撑叶、花或果实的部分（名词）。

• stem

  The general, everyday word for a plant's upright supporting part; used for flowers, trees and most plants, in ordinary, non-technical speech.

  指植物向上生长、起支撑作用的部分，用法通用、口语化，适用于花、树以及大多数植物。

  The gardener trimmed each rose stem to the same length before arranging them.

  园丁把每根玫瑰的茎都剪成同样的长度，然后再插花。

• stalk 本词

  Used especially for a thinner or more rigid supporting part, often of vegetables, grain or fungi (a celery stalk, a wheat stalk); more specific than the general term.

  多指较细或较硬的支撑部分，常见于蔬菜、谷物或菌类的茎（如芹菜、小麦），比通用说法更具体。

  She snapped a stalk of celery in half to add to the salad.

  她把一根芹菜茎掰成两半，加进沙拉里。

Stem and stalk both mean a plant's supporting part. Stem is the common, general word for flowers, trees and plants. Stalk means a thinner or harder stem, often on vegetables, grain or fungi. Not compared: stem meaning 'word origin', or stalk meaning 'follow secretly'.

这两个词都指植物的茎，但用法有别：stem 是最常见、最通用的说法，花、树、各种植物的茎都可以用；stalk 通常指较细或较硬的茎，常见于蔬菜、谷物或菌类（如芹菜、小麦）的茎。这里不比较 stem 表示“词干”“来源于”等其他意思，也不比较 stalk 作动词表示“悄悄跟踪”的用法。