Definitions

niē (verb) to pinch; to hold between fingers; to mold with fingers
niē (verb) to fabricate; to make up (a story)

Etymology phono-semantic

hand

Semantic: Phonetic:

About

is a phono-semantic compound combining the hand radical (shǒu) on the left with the phonetic component (niè) on the right. The hand radical signals an action done with the hands, and the character's basic meaning is to pinch between thumb and fingers, knead dough or clay, or mold soft materials into shape. This concrete sense gave rise to a figurative meaning: to fabricate lies, concoct false stories, or invent unfounded rumors, creating something deceptive out of nothing. The right-hand component serves only to indicate the pronunciation.

Example Sentences Hide

妈妈我的脸。

Māma niēle niē wǒ de liǎn.

Mom pinched my cheek.

妹妹喜欢橡皮泥。

Mèimei xǐhuan niē xiàngpíní.

My younger sister likes to knead play dough.

我的鼻子!

Bié niē wǒ de bízi!

Don't pinch my nose!

爸爸碎了那个杯子。

Bàba niēsuì le nàgè bēizi.

Dad crushed that cup by pinching it.

造了一个故事。

Tā niēzào le yīgè gùshì.

She fabricated a story.

艺术家出了精美的雕塑。

Yìshùjiā niēchū le jīngměi de diāosù.

The artist molded a fine sculpture.

合了双方的意见。

Tā niēhé le shuāngfāng de yìjiàn.

He mediated and brought together both parties' opinions.

不要造事实来欺骗别人。

Bùyào niēzào shìshí lái qīpiàn biérén.

Do not fabricate facts to deceive others.