蜜

mì

宓 + 虫

Definitions

mì (noun) honey

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 虫 represents the meaning and 宓 represents the sound.

Semantic: 虫 Phonetic: 宓

About

蜜 is a phonosemantic compound with 虫 (insect, bug, reptile) at the bottom hinting at the meaning, and 宓 at the top providing the sound. It was coined to denote honey, the sweet viscous fluid bees produce, which perfectly aligns with the insect radical. Over time, the meaning extended beyond the literal substance to describe anything intensely sweet in flavor, and further to characterize words, situations, or relationships that are highly pleasant, affectionate, or agreeable. The phonetic 宓, historically meaning 'quiet' or 'silent', contributes only to pronunciation, not to the ideas of sweetness or insects.

Etymology Hide

Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Cao Wei (Three Kingdoms: 222-280 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

蜜蜂采花蜜。

Mìfēng cǎi huāmì.

Bees collect nectar.

他们的生活很甜蜜。

Tāmen de shēnghuó hěn tiánmì.

Their life is very sweet.

我喝了一杯蜂蜜茶。

Wǒ hēle yībēi fēngmì chá.

I drank a cup of honey tea.

他们去度蜜月了。

Tāmen qù dù mìyuè le.

They went on a honeymoon.

这瓶蜂蜜是新鲜的。

Zhè píng fēngmì shì xīnxiān de.

This bottle of honey is fresh.

蜂蜜不仅甜，还有营养。

Fēngmì bùjǐn tián, hái yǒu yíngyǎng.

Honey is not only sweet but also nutritious.

我买了一些蜂蜜，用来做蛋糕。

Wǒ mǎile yīxiē fēngmì, yònglái zuò dàngāo.

I bought some honey to make cake.

蜜糖般的回忆总是让人感到温暖。

Mìtáng bān de huíyì zǒngshì ràng rén gǎndào wēnnuǎn.

Honey-like memories always make people feel warm.

Related Characters

Component: 宓

Component: 虫

蜜