About
The character for alcoholic drink, "酒", is etymologically linked to the older component "酉", which once depicted a wine vessel and alone represented wine, but to explicitly denote the liquid nature of the substance, the water radical "氵" was added to its left side, creating a compound character that specifically signifies fermented beverage. This structural clarification, with "酉" providing the semantic core related to alcohol and "氵" specifying its fluid form, solidified the meaning of "酒" as the general term for all alcoholic drinks, while the standalone "酉" gradually shifted to serve primarily in other contexts, such as its use in the cyclical calendar system.
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。