溺

nì, niào

弱 + 氵

Frequency#3292

Definitions

nì to drown; to indulge; addicted to; to spoil (a child)

niào variant of 尿[niào]

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 氵 represents the meaning and 弱 represents the sound.

Semantic: 氵 Phonetic: 弱

About

The character 溺, formed with the water radical 氵 and the component 弱, originally denoted the physical act of drowning in water. Its meaning extended metaphorically to describe being overwhelmed or excessively devoted to something, such as in the concept of indulgent love. The water element continues to associate the character with liquidity and immersion, while the 弱 component may imply a loss of strength or control, reflecting the transition from literal submersion to figurative absorption in desires or habits.

Etymology Hide

Bronze Late Spring and Autumn (~500 BC)

Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

那个孩子溺水了。

Nàgè háizi nìshuǐle.

That child drowned.

她溺爱自己的儿子。

Tā nì'ài zìjǐ de érzi.

She spoils her son.

昨天有人溺水身亡。

Zuótiān yǒu rén nìshuǐ shēnwáng.

Someone drowned yesterday.

由于洪水，溺水事故增多。

Yóuyú hóngshuǐ, nìshuǐ shìgù zēngduō.

Due to the flood, drowning accidents increased.

他被发现溺死在湖中。

Tā bèi fāxiàn nìsǐ zài hú zhōng.

He was found drowned in the lake.

请不要在深水区玩耍，以免溺水。

Qǐng bùyào zài shēnshuǐ qū wánshuǎ, yǐmiǎn nìshuǐ.

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

过度溺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，但夏季溺水事件仍时有发生。

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.

Related Characters

Component: 弱

Component: 氵

溺