贴

貼

tiē

占 + 贝

HSK 3.0Level 5

Definitions

tiē (verb) to stick; to paste; to post

tiē (verb) to keep close to; to fit snugly

tiē (verb,noun) to subsidize; allowance

tiē (noun) sticker

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 贝 represents the meaning and 占 represents the sound. Simplified form of 貼.

Semantic: 贝 Phonetic: 占

About

贴 is the simplified form of 貼, a phono-semantic compound whose meaning component 贝 (simplified from 貝, 'cowrie shell') signals money or trade, and phonetic component 占 (zhān) indicates the sound. Originally, it referred to financial acts such as giving a pledge, offering a subsidy, or covering a shortfall. Over time, the meaning shifted toward the physical action of pasting or sticking an object onto a surface, likely by association with applying a seal or attaching a pawn ticket. Today it commonly serves as a verb meaning 'to adhere' and as a classifier for plasters or patches.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

我在墙上贴海报

Wǒ zài qiáng shàng tiē hǎibào

I paste a poster on the wall

她贴心地帮我拿行李

Tā tiēxīn de bāng wǒ ná xínglǐ

She thoughtfully helped me carry my luggage

妈妈补贴了我的生活费

Māma bǔtiē le wǒ de shēnghuó fèi

Mom subsidized my living expenses

请把邮票贴在信封上

Qǐng bǎ yóupiào tiē zài xìnfēng shàng

Please stick the stamp on the envelope

这个贴纸很漂亮我想买

Zhège tiēzhǐ hěn piàoliang wǒ xiǎng mǎi

This sticker is very pretty I want to buy it

公司为员工提供了交通补贴

Gōngsī wèi yuángōng tígōng le jiāotōng bǔtiē

The company provides transportation subsidies for employees

他贴切地描述了当时的场景

Tā tiēqiè de miáoshù le dāngshí de chǎngjǐng

He aptly described the scene at that time

为了环保我们应该减少使用贴膜产品

Wèile huánbǎo wǒmen yīnggāi jiǎnshǎo shǐyòng tiēmó chǎnpǐn

For environmental protection we should reduce the use of film-laminated products

Related Characters

Component: 占

Component: 贝

贴