溢

yì

氵 + 益

HSK 3.0Level 7

Definitions

yì (verb) to overflow

yì (adjective) excessive

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 氵 represents the meaning and 益 represents the sound. Originally written as 益.

Semantic: 氵 Phonetic: 益

About

溢 is a phono-semantic compound where 氵 (water) indicates the meaning and 益 supplies the sound. The character was originally written as 益, a pictograph of water spilling from a vessel; the water radical was added later to clarify the meaning, forming 溢. Its literal sense is liquid rising past the brim of a container and spilling over. This image broadened metaphorically to describe anything, emotions, qualities, or quantities, that exceeds normal bounds and brims over.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

河水溢出堤岸。

Hé shuǐ yìchū dī'àn.

The river water overflowed the embankment.

杯中的牛奶溢出来了。

Bēi zhōng de niúnǎi yì chūláile.

The milk in the cup overflowed.

他的脸上洋溢着幸福的笑容。

Tā de liǎn shàng yángyì zhe xìngfú de xiàoróng.

His face is brimming with a happy smile.

才华横溢的作家赢得了奖项。

Cáihuá héngyì de zuòjiā yíngdéle jiǎngxiàng.

The brilliant writer won the award.

锅里炖的汤太满，都溢到灶台上了。

Guō lǐ dùn de tāng tài mǎn, dōu yì dào zàotái shàngle.

The soup simmering in the pot was too full and overflowed onto the stovetop.

这份报告充满了溢美之词，缺乏客观分析。

Zhè fèn bàogào chōngmǎnle yìměizhīcí, quēfá kèguān fēnxī.

This report is full of flattering words and lacks objective analysis.

欢乐的气氛溢满了整个婚礼现场。

Huānlè de qìfēn yìmǎnle zhěnggè hūnlǐ xiànchǎng.

A joyful atmosphere filled the entire wedding venue.

这些溢出的化学物质对环境构成了潜在威胁。

Zhèxiē yìchū de huàxué wùzhì duì huánjìng gòuchéngle qiánzài wēixié.

These spilled chemical substances pose a potential threat to the environment.

Related Characters

Component: 氵

Component: 益

溢