滞

滯

zhì

带 + 氵

Definitions

zhì (adjective) stagnant; sluggish; blocked

zhì (verb) to stagnate; to be held up; to lag behind

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 氵 represents the meaning and 带 represents the sound. Simplified form of 滯.

Semantic: 氵 Phonetic: 带

About

滞 is a phonosemantic compound that conveys stagnation, sluggishness, or lack of smooth flow. The water radical 氵 points to the original meaning: an obstruction in a river or stream. The phonetic component 带 (dài) indicates the pronunciation. The traditional form 滯 uses 帶, while the simplified 滞 uses 带. Over time, the meaning extended beyond hydrology to anything blocked, delayed, or failing to progress, such as unsalable goods or inflation in economics, and poor digestion or impeded blood circulation in medicine.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

交通已经停滞了。

Jiāotōng yǐjīng tíngzhì le.

Traffic has stagnated.

商品滞销很严重。

Shāngpǐn zhìxiāo hěn yánzhòng.

The goods are selling very poorly.

他因雨滞留在家。

Tā yīn yǔ zhìliú zài jiā.

He was stuck at home due to rain.

经济发展停滞不前。

Jīngjì fāzhǎn tíngzhì bù qián.

Economic development has stagnated.

水流淤滞导致污染。

Shuǐliú yūzhì dǎozhì wūrǎn.

Water flow congestion leads to pollution.

滞纳金会增加成本。

Zhìnàjīn huì zēngjiā chéngběn.

Late fees will increase costs.

由于管理不善，项目进度滞后了。

Yóuyú guǎnlǐ bù shàn, xiàngmù jìndù zhìhòu le.

Due to poor management, the project progress has lagged behind.

市场需求的突然变化使产品滞销情况加剧。

Shìchǎng xūqiú de tūrán biànhuà shǐ chǎnpǐn zhìxiāo qíngkuàng jiājù.

The sudden change in market demand has exacerbated the product's sluggish sales.

Related Characters

Component: 带

Component: 氵

滞