淋

lín, lìn

林 + 氵

HSK 2.0Level 6

HSK 3.0Level 6

Definitions

lín (verb) to sprinkle; to drip; to pour

lìn (verb) to filter; to strain

Etymology

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

Semantic: 氵 Phonetic: 林

About

淋 is a phono-semantic compound: the left-side component 氵 (a reduced form of 水 'water') signals the character's connection to liquids and moisture, while the right-side component 林 (lín, 'forest') functions purely as the phonetic element, contributing the sound. The character's core meaning centers on the action of liquids, pouring, dripping, drenching, and soaking something thoroughly. This encompasses states such as being drenched by rain, pouring a liquid over an object, or moisture dripping constantly. The water radical firmly grounds these meanings in the realm of wetness and fluid motion.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

我今天淋雨了。

Wǒ jīntiān lín yǔ le.

I got caught in the rain today.

他每天都要淋浴。

Tā měitiān dōu yào línyù.

He needs to shower every day.

淋雨之后容易感冒。

Lín yǔ zhīhòu róngyì gǎnmào.

It's easy to catch a cold after getting caught in the rain.

孩子们在雨中淋得很开心。

Háizimen zài yǔ zhōng lín de hěn kāixīn.

The children are drenched in the rain very happily.

请记得淋浴时节约用水。

Qǐng jìde línyù shí jiéyuē yòngshuǐ.

Please remember to save water when showering.

这场暴雨把我们全身都淋湿了。

Zhè chǎng bàoyǔ bǎ wǒmen quánshēn dōu lín shī le.

This heavy rain drenched us all over.

在花园里，自动喷淋系统正在浇水。

Zài huāyuán lǐ, zìdòng pēnlín xìtǒng zhèngzài jiāoshuǐ.

In the garden, the automatic sprinkler system is watering.

由于管道破裂，地下室被水淋得无法使用。

Yóuyú guǎndào pòliè, dìxiàshì bèi shuǐ lín dé wúfǎ shǐyòng.

Due to the pipe burst, the basement was drenched and unusable.

Related Characters

Component: 林

Component: 氵

淋