止渴 (zhǐ kě) — to quench thirst | tongtong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

Literary/formal 'to quench thirst' — mostly seen in set phrases like 望梅止渴 or figurative writing; in daily speech 止渴 is rare. In casual talk, say 解渴.

verb

to quench thirst

止渴。
Xià tiān hē lǜ dòu tāng zuì néng zhǐ kě.
Drinking mung bean soup in summer is the best way to quench thirst.
，。
Tā hē le yí dà bēi shuǐ, zǒng suàn zhǐ le kě.
He drank a big glass of water and finally quenched his thirst.
，止渴。
Zhè zhǒng shuǐ guǒ suān tián kě kǒu, yòu néng zhǐ kě.
This fruit is sweet and sour, delicious, and can also quench thirst.

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

止 (stop) + 渴 (thirst) expresses stopping thirst.

Characters in this word

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

止 was drawn as a footprint pointing up, with three toes and a sole, originally showing a foot.

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

氵曷渴

Meaning part形符xíngfú

氵Written in full as水shuǐwater

Sound part声符shēngfú

曷

曷hé渴kě

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

渴 combines 氵 (water) with 曷 giving the sound. The water part shows dryness or exhaustion of water.