Definitions

(noun) beer

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. represents the meaning and represents the sound.

Semantic: Phonetic:

About

The character "啤" was created as a modern phonetic adaptation to capture the sound of the English word "beer" or similar European terms, emerging during a period of linguistic exchange in the late 19th century. Its structure follows the phono-semantic principle, combining the radical "口" (mouth) to loosely imply something related to consumption or speech, with the component "卑" serving primarily to supply the pronunciation "pí". This character has no independent historical meaning or usage outside of its role in the compound "啤酒", where it exclusively denotes the alcoholic beverage, and its semantic scope has remained fixed since its introduction without broadening or shifting.

Example Sentences Hide

我喜欢喝酒。

Wǒ xǐhuān hē píjiǔ.

I like to drink beer.

我们晚上喝酒。

Wǒmen wǎnshang hē píjiǔ.

We drink beer in the evening.

他买了一瓶青岛酒。

Tā mǎi le yì píng Qīngdǎo píjiǔ.

He bought a bottle of Tsingtao beer.

请给我一杯冰酒。

Qǐng gěi wǒ yì bēi bīng píjiǔ.

Please give me a glass of cold beer.

冰镇酒更好喝。

Bīngzhèn píjiǔ gèng hǎo hē.

Chilled beer tastes better.

酒吧里有很多种酒。

Jiǔbā lǐ yǒu hěn duō zhǒng píjiǔ.

There are many kinds of beer in the bar.

酒要看场合。

Hē píjiǔ yào kàn chǎnghé.

Drinking beer depends on the occasion.

酒虽然好喝但不能过量。

Píjiǔ suīrán hǎo hē dàn bùnéng guòliàng.

Although beer tastes good, you must not drink excessively.