浴

yù

氵 + 谷

Definitions

yù (verb) to bathe; to take a bath

yù (noun) bath

Etymology

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

Semantic: 氵 Phonetic: 谷

About

The character 浴 describes bathing or washing the body and is a phono-semantic compound: the water radical 氵 on the left conveys the meaning of water and cleansing, while the component 谷 (gǔ) on the right provides the sound. Its original meaning involves immersing oneself in water or pouring water over the body for personal hygiene, and it regularly forms compounds for bathtubs, bathrooms, and public bathhouses. The sense later extended metaphorically to suggest being fully enveloped by an element, such as basking in sunlight, being bathed in blood on a battlefield, or undergoing a spiritual cleansing through trial by fire.

Etymology Hide

Bronze Late Spring and Autumn (~500 BC)

Bronze Spring and Autumn (771-476 BC)

Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

浴室里有一个浴缸。

Yùshì li yǒu yī gè yùgāng.

There is a bathtub in the bathroom.

他用浴巾擦干身体。

Tā yòng yùjīn cā gān shēntǐ.

He dries his body with a bath towel.

沐浴后我觉得很舒服。

Mùyù hòu wǒ juéde hěn shūfu.

After bathing, I feel very comfortable.

商店里卖各种沐浴露。

Shāngdiàn li mài gè zhǒng mùyùlù.

The store sells various shower gels.

夏天我们去海边做海水浴。

Xiàtiān wǒmen qù hǎibiān zuò hǎishuǐyù.

In summer, we go to the seaside for sea bathing.

日光浴对健康有好处。

Rìguāngyù duì jiànkāng yǒu hǎochù.

Sunbathing is good for health.

这个浴场设施非常齐全。

Zhège yùchǎng shèshī fēicháng qíquán.

This bathing place has very complete facilities.

在温泉浴中放松身心是一种享受。

Zài wēnquányù zhōng fàngsòng shēnxīn shì yī zhǒng xiǎngshòu.

Relaxing body and mind in a hot spring bath is a kind of enjoyment.

Related Characters

Component: 氵

Component: 谷

浴