About
The character 噬, meaning to bite or devour, is structured with the mouth radical 口 paired with the component 筮, which historically acted as a phonetic indicator but also carried its own meaning related to divination. This combination suggests an original usage that may have extended beyond mere physical biting, possibly into a metaphorical sense of determining or consuming fate, as seen in some early classical texts. Over time, the divinative connotations of 筮 faded from the character's primary meaning, which narrowed to focus specifically on the act of biting, often with a forceful or savage implication. The traditional form of the character retains this full structure, and its modern application is almost exclusively literal or intensifying, as in the compound 吞噬, meaning to swallow or engulf.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
野兽噬咬猎物。
这种病毒会噬食人体细胞。
孤独感正在慢慢吞噬他的内心。
悔恨噬咬着他的灵魂，让他无法安宁。
贪婪的资本家噬尽工人的血汗。
旧制度正被历史的浪潮所吞噬。
内心的恐惧像野兽一样噬咬着她。
这种腐蚀性液体会噬穿金属薄板。