粘

nián, zhān
占 + 米
HSK 3.0Level 6

Definitions

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

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 米 represents the meaning and 占 represents the sound.

Semantic: 米 Phonetic: 占

About

The character 粘 is a phono-semantic compound. Its left-side radical 米 (rice) provides the semantic category, linking the character to the sticky, glutinous properties of cooked rice historically used as an adhesive. The right-side component 占 functions as the phonetic marker, indicating the pronunciation. As an adjective, 粘 describes a physical texture that is sticky or glutinous. As a verb, it denotes the action of gluing, pasting, or adhering objects together. Thus, it characterizes both the property of a material and the process of attachment.

Example Sentences Hide

把邮票粘在信封上。

Bǎ yóupiào zhān zài xìnfēng shàng.

Stick the stamp on the envelope.

妹妹喜欢玩彩色粘土。

Mèimei xǐhuan wán cǎisè niántǔ.

My younger sister likes to play with colorful clay.

这种糖很粘手。

Zhè zhǒng táng hěn nián shǒu.

This kind of candy is very sticky to the hands.

胶水放久了就不粘了。

Jiāoshuǐ fàng jiǔle jiù bù zhān le.

Glue loses its stickiness if left for too long.

他用胶带粘住了海报。

Tā yòng jiāodài zhān zhùle hǎibào.

He used tape to stick the poster up.

伤口要用干净的纱布粘住。

Shāngkǒu yào yòng gānjìng de shābù zhān zhù.

The wound needs to be covered with clean gauze.

实验室里有一种粘性物质。

Shíyàn shì lǐ yǒu yī zhǒng niánxìng wùzhì.

There is a viscous substance in the laboratory.

手术后的粘连带需要小心处理。

Shǒushù hòu de niánlián dài xūyào xiǎoxīn chǔlǐ.

The adhesions after surgery need to be handled carefully.

Related Characters

Component: 占

点 战 站 店 贴 钻 沾 帖 毡 拈 黏 玷 鲇 砧

Component: 米

类 断 精 料 米 继 奥 迷 粮 糊 粗 粉 粒 粹

Example Words

粘贴 粘稠 粘连 不粘锅 粘接