垂涎欲滴 (chuí xián yù dī) — to make one's mouth water; extremely appetizing

Definition

A vivid chengyu for mouth-watering food — stronger and more literary than the plain 'make one's mouth water' (e.g. 让我流口水), often used in writing to describe tempting dishes.

idiom
to make one's mouth waterextremely appetizing

Examples

  • ，垂涎欲滴。
    Yí kàn dào nà pán hóng shāo ròu, wǒ jiù chuí xián yù dī.
    As soon as I saw that plate of braised pork, my mouth watered.
  • 垂涎欲滴。
    Zhè jiā cān tīng de tián diǎn ràng rén chuí xián yù dī.
    The desserts at this restaurant make one's mouth water.
  • ，垂涎欲滴。
    Wén dào kǎo yā de xiāng wèi, tā rěn bú zhù chuí xián yù dī.
    Smelling the aroma of roast duck, he couldn't help but drool.

Origin

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

垂 combines 𠂹 and 土 to draw flowers hanging down from a plant.

Open 垂 →

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
水水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
延
延yán涎xián
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

涎 combines 水, which carries the meaning, with 延, which gives the sound.

Open 涎 →

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
欠欠qiàn
Sound part声符shēngfú
谷
谷gǔ欲yù
Same sound today

欲 is made of 谷, which supplies the sound, and 欠, which relates to the meaning.

Open 欲 →

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
水水shuǐ
Sound part声符shēngfú
啻
啻chì滴dī
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

滴 has 水, meaning water, on the left, and 啻 on the right, which tells how it sounds.

Open 滴 →

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