咂嘴 (zā zuǐ) — to smack one's lips or click one's tongue (expressing admiration, surprise, praise, or dissatisfaction)

Definition

A vivid colloquial verb meaning to smack one's lips or click the tongue, used in writing to convey a character reacting to taste or feeling — admiration, satisfaction, or sometimes skepticism. 咂 is rarely used outside this set phrase.

verb
to smack one's lips or click one's tongue (expressing admiration, surprise, praise, or dissatisfaction)

Examples

  • ，咂嘴。
    Tā cháng le yì kǒu cài, rěn bú zhù zā zuǐ chēng zàn.
    He tasted the dish and couldn't help smacking his lips in praise.
  • ，咂嘴。
    Lǎo rén tīng wán gù shi, mǎn yì dì zā zuǐ.
    The old man, after hearing the story, smacked his lips with satisfaction.
  • ，。
    Tā zā le liǎng xià zuǐ, diǎn diǎn tóu méi shuō huà.
    He clicked his tongue twice, nodded, and didn't say anything.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

咂zāsmack/taste
嘴zuǐmouth

咂 (to smack or taste) is directed at 嘴 (mouth), giving the action of clicking the tongue or smacking the lips.

Characters in this word

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 咂 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
口口kǒu
Sound part声符shēngfú
觜
觜zī嘴
Same sound today

嘴 pairs 口 (mouth) with 觜, which supplies its sound.

Open 嘴 →

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