通草 Traditional form: 通草 Pinyin (reading): tōngcǎo Definitions: rice-paper plant (Tetrapanax papyriferus) Characters: 通 - to pass through, to open, to connect; to communicate; common 草 - grass, herbs; straw, thatch Traditional characters: 通 - to pass through, to open, to connect; to communicate; common 草 - grass, herbs; straw, thatch