About
The character for wine, 酒, structurally combines the water radical, 氵, indicating its liquid nature, with the component 酉, which originally depicted a wine vessel or jar, thereby creating a semantic-phonetic compound that directly references fermented beverages. Initially, the element 酉 itself carried the meaning of alcohol, but over time its application broadened to other domains such as the earthly branches, necessitating a more specific character for drink. This led to the stabilized use of 酒, where the water radical served to specify and perpetuate the concept of the consumable liquid, while 酉 continued to contribute phonetic and historic semantic value. Throughout its development, the character’s core meaning has remained consistently tied to alcoholic drink, with its etymology reflecting a clear evolution from a general pictographic representation to a specialized lexical item through radical augmentation.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
我喜欢喝酒。
啤酒很好喝。
晚餐时我们喝了酒。
红酒和白酒都是酒。
喝酒对身体不好。
如果你开车，就不要喝酒。
在派对上，他们提供了各种酒。
虽然酒能助兴，但过量饮酒有害健康。