抿

mǐn

扌 + 民

Definitions

mǐn to smooth hair with a wet brush; (of a mouth, wing etc) to close lightly; to sip

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 扌 represents the meaning and 民 represents the sound.

Semantic: 扌 Phonetic: 民

About

抿 (mǐn) is a phono-semantic compound with the hand radical 扌 on the left indicating a physical action, and 民 (mín) on the right providing the phonetic component. The character describes delicate manual actions, such as lightly pressing the lips together to take a small sip or form a subtle smile, or gently smoothing hairs or an object with the fingers or a damp comb. This focus on fine, tactile movements is consistent throughout its history, and in modern usage, it commonly depicts subtle gestures, as seen in 抿嘴 (pursed lips) or 抿了一口茶 (took a sip of tea).

Example Sentences Hide

她抿着嘴笑了笑。

Tā mǐn zhe zuǐ xiào le xiào.

She smiled with her lips pressed together.

他抿了一口杯中的红酒。

Tā mǐn le yī kǒu bēi zhōng de hóngjiǔ.

He took a small sip of the red wine in his glass.

小女孩害羞地抿了抿嘴唇。

Xiǎo nǚhái hàixiū de mǐn le mǐn zuǐchún.

The little girl shyly pursed her lips.

听完笑话，他抿嘴强忍着不笑。

Tīng wán xiàohua, tā mǐn zuǐ qiángrěn zhe bù xiào.

After hearing the joke, he pressed his lips together to hold back his laughter.

老人抿了一小口热茶，缓缓放下杯子。

Lǎorén mǐn le yī xiǎo kǒu rè chá, huǎnhuǎn fàng xià bēizi.

The old man took a small sip of the hot tea and slowly put down the cup.

她只是抿着咖啡，并没有加入我们的讨论。

Tā zhǐshì mǐn zhe kāfēi, bìng méiyǒu jiārù wǒmen de tǎolùn.

She was just sipping her coffee and did not join our discussion.

他抿着嘴唇，陷入了长久的沉思之中。

Tā mǐn zhe zuǐchún, xiànrù le chángjiǔ de chénsī zhī zhōng.

He pursed his lips and fell into a long contemplation.

抿着这醇厚的烈酒，他仿佛品出了岁月的味道。

Mǐn zhe zhè chúnhòu de lièjiǔ, tā fǎngfú pǐn chū le suìyuè de wèidào.

Sipping this mellow liquor, he seemed to taste the flavor of the passing years.

Related Characters

Component: 扌

Component: 民