饮

㱃/飲

yǐn, yìn

欠 + 饣

Definitions

yǐn (verb) to drink

yìn (verb) to give water to animals

Etymology

Simplified form of 飲. Pictograph of a person with an open mouth (欠) drinking from a wine vessel (酉). 欠 also represents the sound. The 酉 (wine) component and the open mouth was later reanalyzed as 饣 (eat).

Semantic: 饣 Phonetic: 欠

About

饮 is the simplified form of 飲. Originally, the character combined 酉 (a wine vessel) with 欠 (a person with an open mouth), depicting the act of drinking; 欠 also gives the sound. Over time, the wine vessel was reanalyzed as the food radical 食 (simplified to 饣), shifting the character's association to eating and nourishment. Today, 饮 means to swallow liquids, chiefly water or alcohol, as distinct from eating solid food, and as a noun it refers broadly to beverages. It commonly appears in compounds related to diet, banquets, and sustenance.

Etymology Hide

Oracle etymology image

Oracle (~1250-1000 BC)

Oracle etymology image

Oracle (~1250-1000 BC)

Oracle etymology image

Oracle (~1250-1000 BC)

Oracle etymology image

Oracle (~1250-1000 BC)

Oracle etymology image

Oracle (~1250-1000 BC)

Oracle etymology image

Oracle (~1250-1000 BC)

Bronze etymology image

Bronze Late Shang dynasty (~1100 BC)

Bronze etymology image

Bronze Mid Western Zhou (~900 BC)

Bronze etymology image

Bronze Mid Western Zhou (~900 BC)

Bronze etymology image

Bronze Late Spring and Autumn (~500 BC)

Bronze etymology image

Bronze Late Spring and Autumn (~500 BC)

Bronze etymology image

Bronze Spring and Autumn (771-476 BC)

Bronze etymology image

Bronze Spring and Autumn (771-476 BC)

Bronze etymology image

Bronze Early Warring States (~400 BC)

Bronze etymology image

Bronze Late Warring States (~250 BC)

Seal etymology image

Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)

Seal etymology image

Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)

Seal etymology image

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Seal etymology image

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Seal etymology image

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical etymology image

Clerical Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)

Clerical etymology image

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Clerical etymology image

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

我喜欢喝饮料。

Wǒ xǐhuān hē yǐnliào.

I like to drink beverages.

他饮酒过量。

Tā yǐn jiǔ guòliàng.

He drinks too much alcohol.

饮食要健康。

Yǐnshí yào jiànkāng.

Diet should be healthy.

我们饮用干净的水。

Wǒmen yǐnyòng gānjìng de shuǐ.

We drink clean water.

这家餐厅饮食很好。

Zhè jiā cāntīng yǐnshí hěn hǎo.

This restaurant has very good food and drink.

他建议多饮水。

Tā jiànyì duō yǐn shuǐ.

He suggests drinking more water.

饮酒后不能开车。

Yǐn jiǔ hòu bù néng kāi chē.

You cannot drive after drinking alcohol.

他们正在举行饮酒比赛。

Tāmen zhèngzài jǔxíng yǐn jiǔ bǐsài.

They are holding a drinking competition.

Related Characters

Component: 欠

Component: 饣

Example Words