Definitions

lào (bound form) semi-solid food made from milk (junket, cheese etc); (bound form) fruit jelly; sweet paste made with crushed nuts; Taiwan pr. [luò]

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. represents the meaning and represents the sound.

Semantic: Phonetic:

About

The character "酪" is structured as a phono-semantic compound, incorporating the semantic radical "酉", which denotes associations with fermentation and alcoholic substances, alongside the phonetic component "各" to guide its pronunciation. Initially, the term broadly referred to a spectrum of fermented dairy products, including beverages like kumis and more solid forms such as yogurt or curds. Over time, its meaning gradually narrowed to focus more specifically on cheese and yogurt in contemporary usage, reflecting a semantic shift that aligns with evolving dietary habits and linguistic precision, while its structural composition has remained unchanged throughout this process.

Etymology Hide

Seal etymology image
Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)
Traditional Modern
Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

很好吃。

Nǎilào hěn hǎochī.

Cheese is very delicious.

我买了一些奶

Wǒ mǎile yīxiē nǎilào.

I bought some cheese.

这种奶味道很浓。

Zhè zhǒng nǎilào wèidào hěn nóng.

This kind of cheese has a strong flavor.

早餐我吃了面包和奶

Zǎocān wǒ chīle miànbāo hé nǎilào.

For breakfast, I ate bread and cheese.

是牛奶制成的食品。

Nǎilào shì niúnǎi zhìchéng de shípǐn.

Cheese is a food made from milk.

在西方,奶常用于烹饪。

Zài xīfāng, nǎilào cháng yòng yú pēngrèn.

In the West, cheese is often used in cooking.

这种手工奶的制作工艺很复杂。

Zhè zhǒng shǒugōng nǎilào de zhìzuò gōngyì hěn fùzá.

The production process of this handmade cheese is very complex.

为了保持健康,他选择了低脂奶

Wèile bǎochí jiànkāng, tā xuǎnzéle dīzhī nǎilào.

To maintain health, he chose low-fat cheese.