涕

tì

弟 + 氵

Definitions

tì (noun) tears; nasal mucus

Etymology

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

Semantic: 氵 Phonetic: 弟

About

涕 is a phonosemantic compound: the water radical 氵 ties it to bodily fluids, and 弟 (younger brother) gives the sound without contributing to the meaning. Originally, the character referred to tears, particularly those shed from strong emotion. Over time, the meaning shifted, and in modern usage 涕 primarily denotes nasal mucus , the discharge from a runny nose during a cold. The sense of tear has since moved to other characters.

Etymology Hide

Bronze Late Warring States (~250 BC)

Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)

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

感冒时容易流鼻涕。

Gǎnmào shí róngyì liú bítì.

It's easy to have a runny nose when you have a cold.

小孩子哭得鼻涕都出来了。

Xiǎo háizi kū dé bítì dōu chūlái le.

The little child cried so much that snot came out.

她擦掉脸上的涕泪，继续说话。

Tā cā diào liǎn shàng de tì lèi, jìxù shuōhuà.

She wiped the tears and snivel from her face and continued speaking.

他因感动而涕泣，无法自制。

Tā yīn gǎndòng ér tìqì, wúfǎ zìzhì.

He wept due to emotion and couldn't control himself.

在寒冷的早晨，鼻涕容易流出来。

Zài hánlěng de zǎochén, bítì róngyì liú chūlái.

On cold mornings, runny nose easily comes out.

医生建议多喝水以减少鼻涕。

Yīshēng jiànyì duō hē shuǐ yǐ jiǎnshǎo bítì.

The doctor advised drinking more water to reduce nasal mucus.

看到那悲惨的场景，人们无不涕泪横流。

Kàn dào nà bēicǎn de chǎngjǐng, rénmen wú bù tì lèi héng liú.

Seeing that tragic scene, people all shed tears profusely.

尽管他试图掩饰，但涕泪还是暴露了他的悲伤。

Jǐnguǎn tā shìtú yǎnshì, dàn tì lèi háishì bàolù le tā de bēishāng.

Although he tried to hide it, his tears and snivel still exposed his sadness.

Related Characters

Component: 弟

Component: 氵

涕