汤

湯

tāng, shāng

氵 + 𠃓

HSK 2.0Level 4

HSK 3.0Level 4

Definitions

tāng (noun) soup; hot water; broth

shāng (noun) rushing water; current

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 氵 represents the meaning and 昜 represents the sound. Simplified form of 湯.

Semantic: 氵 Phonetic: 昜

About

汤 is a phono-semantic compound: the radical 氵 (water) carries the meaning, and 昜 (yáng) supplies the sound in the traditional form 湯. Its original meaning was boiling water or hot water, a sense that persists in terms for hot springs. Over time, the character shifted to mean soup or broth, a hot liquid dish made by boiling ingredients. The simplified form 汤 replaces the intricate phonetic 昜 with a simpler three-stroke component, making writing easier while retaining the water radical.

Etymology Hide

Bronze etymology image

Bronze Mid Western Zhou (~900 BC)

Bronze etymology image

Bronze Late Western Zhou (~800 BC)

Bronze etymology image

Bronze Early Spring and Autumn (~700 BC)

Bronze etymology image

Bronze Warring States (475-221 BC)

Seal etymology image

Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)

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 Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Clerical etymology image

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Clerical etymology image

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Clerical etymology image

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Clerical etymology image

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

这汤味道很好。

Zhè tāng wèidào hěn hǎo.

This soup tastes very good.

我想喝一碗热汤。

Wǒ xiǎng hē yī wǎn rè tāng.

I want to drink a bowl of hot soup.

妈妈做的汤很鲜美。

Māmā zuò de tāng hěn xiānměi.

The soup my mom made is very delicious.

番茄汤的营养很丰富。

Fānqié tāng de yíngyǎng hěn fēngfù.

Tomato soup is very nutritious.

汤太烫了，等会儿再喝。

Tāng tài tàng le, děnghuìr zài hē.

The soup is too hot, I'll drink it later.

这锅汤需要慢火炖两小时。

Zhè guō tāng xūyào mànhuǒ dùn liǎng xiǎoshí.

This pot of soup needs to be simmered on low heat for two hours.

喝汤是中国的传统饮食习惯。

Hē tāng shì Zhōngguó de chuántǒng yǐnshí xíguàn.

Drinking soup is a traditional Chinese dietary habit.

做汤时要注意食材的搭配和火候。

Zuò tāng shí yào zhùyì shícái de dāpèi hé huǒhòu.

When making soup, you need to pay attention to the combination of ingredients and the heat control.

Related Characters

Composed characters:

Component: 氵

Component: 𠃓

Example Words