Definitions

to drown; to indulge; addicted to; to spoil (a child)
niào variant of 尿[niào]

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. represents the meaning and represents the sound.

Semantic: Phonetic:

About

The character (nì) is a phono-semantic compound combining the water radical (shuǐ) on the left with the phonetic component (ruò) on the right. The water radical indicates that the character relates to water, liquids, or submersion, while supplies the sound. The primary meaning is drowning, sinking, or physical submersion; this later expanded metaphorically to describe someone excessively addicted or indulgent, as if drowning in a behavior. Additionally, has a second pronunciation, niào, where it serves as a variant written form for urine or urination, a usage that also stems from the liquid sense of the water radical.

Etymology Hide

Bronze etymology image
Bronze Late Spring and Autumn (~500 BC)
Seal etymology image
Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)
Seal etymology image
Seal Shuowen (~100 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

那个孩子水了。

Nàgè háizi nìshuǐle.

That child drowned.

爱自己的儿子。

Tā nì'ài zìjǐ de érzi.

She spoils her son.

昨天有人水身亡。

Zuótiān yǒu rén nìshuǐ shēnwáng.

Someone drowned yesterday.

由于洪水,水事故增多。

Yóuyú hóngshuǐ, nìshuǐ shìgù zēngduō.

Due to the flood, drowning accidents increased.

他被发现死在湖中。

Tā bèi fāxiàn nìsǐ zài hú zhōng.

He was found drowned in the lake.

请不要在深水区玩耍,以免水。

Qǐng bùyào zài shēnshuǐ qū wánshuǎ, yǐmiǎn nìshuǐ.

Please do not play in the deep water area to avoid drowning.

过度爱孩子会阻碍他们的成长。

Guòdù nì'ài háizi huì zǔ'ài tāmen de chéngzhǎng.

Excessive spoiling of children will hinder their growth.

尽管政府加强了安全教育,但夏季水事件仍时有发生。

Jǐnguǎn zhèngfǔ jiāqiáng le ānquán jiàoyù, dàn xiàjì nìshuǐ shìjiàn réng shíyǒu fāshēng.

Although the government has strengthened safety education, drowning incidents still occur from time to time in summer.