Definitions

zhān (verb) to glue; to stick; to adhere
nián (verb) to stick; to adhere

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. represents the meaning and represents the sound.

Semantic: Phonetic:

About

The character "粘" is constructed from the semantic component "米", meaning rice, and the phonetic component "占", which indicates its pronunciation. This combination initially reflected the use of grain-based substances like rice paste for adhesion, giving the character its early verbal sense of sticking or gluing. Over centuries, its meaning expanded beyond this specific context to denote adhesive actions more broadly, and it subsequently acquired an additional adjectival function to describe sticky qualities. The character's structure has remained unchanged, but its semantic range has widened to encompass both concrete and abstract notions of adhesion.

Example Sentences Hide

把邮票在信封上。

Bǎ yóupiào zhān zài xìnfēng shàng.

Stick the stamp on the envelope.

妹妹喜欢玩彩色土。

Mèimei xǐhuan wán cǎisè niántǔ.

My younger sister likes to play with colorful clay.

这种糖很手。

Zhè zhǒng táng hěn nián shǒu.

This kind of candy is very sticky to the hands.

胶水放久了就不了。

Jiāoshuǐ fàng jiǔle jiù bù zhān le.

Glue loses its stickiness if left for too long.

他用胶带住了海报。

Tā yòng jiāodài zhān zhùle hǎibào.

He used tape to stick the poster up.

伤口要用干净的纱布住。

Shāngkǒu yào yòng gānjìng de shābù zhān zhù.

The wound needs to be covered with clean gauze.

实验室里有一种性物质。

Shíyàn shì lǐ yǒu yī zhǒng niánxìng wùzhì.

There is a viscous substance in the laboratory.

手术后的连带需要小心处理。

Shǒushù hòu de niánlián dài xūyào xiǎoxīn chǔlǐ.

The adhesions after surgery need to be handled carefully.