涉水 (shè shuǐ) — to wade through water, to wade into the water

Definition

Literary/literary-leaning verb meaning 'to wade through water'. Distinguish from the more colloquial 蹚水 (tāng shuǐ) — 涉 often appears in writing, while 蹚 is common in speech.

verb
to wade through waterto wade into the water

Examples

  • 涉水。
    Wǒ men shè shuǐ guò le zhè tiáo xiǎo hé.
    We waded across this small stream.
  • ，。
    Tā shè le yí cì shuǐ, kù zi quán shī le.
    He waded once, and his pants got completely wet.
  • ，涉水。
    Zhè lǐ shuǐ tài shēn, bú shì hé shè shuǐ.
    The water is too deep here; it's not suitable for wading.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

涉shècross
水shuǐwater

涉水 means to 涉 through 水, crossing water on foot.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

涉 combines 水 (water) and 步 (walk), showing someone walking through water.

Open 涉 →

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

水 is a simple drawing of water flowing.

Open 水 →

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