蘸

zhàn

艹 + 醮

HSK 3.0Level 7

Definitions

zhàn to dip in (ink, sauce etc)

Etymology

To perform a rite 醮 again (like a perennial 艹)

About

The character 蘸 is a phono-semantic compound that combines the grass radical 艹 with 醮, a character originally denoting a ritual offering of wine. 艹, as in a perennial plant, suggests an action that occurs again and again, while 醮 provides both the sound and the notion of dipping into a liquid. The resulting meaning is the verb "to dip": briefly immersing an object into a liquid, paste, or powder, such as a brush in ink or food in a condiment. Its use is strictly limited to this repetitive submersion, never straying into other semantic areas.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

我蘸了点酱油。

Wǒ zhàn le diǎn jiàngyóu.

I dipped some soy sauce.

面包蘸牛奶很好吃。

Miànbāo zhàn niúnǎi hěn hǎochī.

Bread dipped in milk is very tasty.

他喜欢蘸醋吃饺子。

Tā xǐhuan zhàn cù chī jiǎozi.

He likes to eat dumplings dipped in vinegar.

她用毛笔蘸墨写字。

Tā yòng máobǐ zhàn mò xiě zì.

She uses a brush dipped in ink to write characters.

吃火锅时，我们常蘸芝麻酱。

Chī huǒguō shí, wǒmen cháng zhàn zhīmajiàng.

When eating hot pot, we often dip in sesame sauce.

这幅画是用蘸了颜料的笔画成的。

Zhè fú huà shì yòng zhàn le yánliào de bǐ huà chéng de.

This painting was done with a brush dipped in pigment.

厨师小心地蘸糖浆装饰蛋糕。

Chúshī xiǎoxīn de zhàn tángjiāng zhuāngshì dàngāo.

The chef carefully dips syrup to decorate the cake.

在传统书法中，蘸墨的技巧很重要。

Zài chuántǒng shūfǎ zhōng, zhàn mò de jìqiǎo hěn zhòngyào.

In traditional calligraphy, the technique of dipping ink is very important.

Related Characters

Component: 艹

蘸