Definitions

ěr pastry; food; to swallow; to lure; bait; lure

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. represents the meaning and represents the sound. Simplified form of .

Semantic: Phonetic:

About

The character 饵, whose traditional form is 餌, is structurally composed of the semantic component 食, meaning food, and the phonetic component 耳, which provides a sound clue. Its etymology points to an early meaning of general food or nourishment, but the semantic focus shifted over centuries to specify bait used for catching fish or animals, and metaphorically, to any device or means of enticement. The simplified form 饵 maintains the phonetic 耳 while altering the semantic radical to its abbreviated form 饣.

Etymology Hide

Seal etymology image
Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)
Seal etymology image
Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)
Seal etymology image
Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)
Traditional Modern
Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

用鱼来钓鱼。

Yòng yú'ěr lái diàoyú.

Use bait to catch fish.

这个鱼很香。

Zhège yú'ěr hěn xiāng.

This fish bait is very fragrant.

他在鱼钩上挂好

Tā zài yúgōu shàng guà hǎo ěr.

He baited the hook properly.

商人用优惠作

Shāngrén yòng yōuhuì zuò ěr.

The merchant used discounts as a lure.

不要轻信骗子的诱

Bùyào qīngxìn piànzi de yòu'ěr.

Don't easily believe a scammer's bait.

这款新产品是市场的香

Zhè kuǎn xīn chǎnpǐn shì shìchǎng de xiāng ěr.

This new product is an attractive lure for the market.

投资高回报往往是陷阱的

Tóuzī gāo huíbào wǎngwǎng shì xiànjǐng de ěr.

High-return investments are often the bait of a trap.

他的承诺不过是政治权谋的料。

Tā de chéngnuò bùguò shì zhèngzhì quánmóu de ěrliào.

His promises are merely bait in a political maneuver.