泥

ní, nì

尼 + 氵

HSK 3.0Level 6

Definitions

ní (noun) mud; clay

ní (noun) paste; pulp

nì (adjective) restrained

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 氵 represents the meaning and 尼 represents the sound.

Semantic: 氵 Phonetic: 尼

About

The character 泥 is a phonosemantic compound, with the water radical 氵 (shuǐ) on the left indicating a moist substance or something formed by adding liquid, and 尼 (ní) on the right functioning as the phonetic. Its basic meaning is mud, dirt mixed with water, or wet clay, as encountered in natural environments, and from there it readily extends to any soft, sticky paste like fruit puree or mashed potatoes. When pronounced with a different tone (nì), it refers to the act of plastering, or to the state of being bogged down, stuck, or rigidly bound by inflexible rules and stubbornness.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

我的鞋子上有泥。

Wǒ de xiézi shàng yǒu ní.

There is mud on my shoes.

孩子们在玩泥巴。

Háizimen zài wán níba.

The children are playing with mud.

这条路变得很泥泞。

Zhè tiáo lù biàn de hěn níning.

This road has become very muddy.

建筑工人正在搅拌水泥。

Jiànzhù gōngrén zhèngzài jiǎobàn shuǐní.

The construction workers are mixing cement.

河底的淤泥需要清理。

Hédǐ de yūní xūyào qīnglǐ.

The silt at the river bottom needs to be cleaned.

暴雨后，田野里一片泥沼。

Bàoyǔ hòu, tiányě lǐ yī piàn nízhǎo.

After the heavy rain, the fields are a swamp.

陶艺师熟练地揉着泥料。

Táoyìshī shúliàn de róu zhe níliào.

The potter is skillfully kneading the clay.

由于长期干旱，土地已经龟裂成泥块。

Yóuyú chángqī gānhàn, tǔdì yǐjīng guīliè chéng níkuài.

Due to the long-term drought, the land has cracked into mud clods.

Related Characters

Component: 尼

Component: 氵

泥