溺 (nì) — to drown; to be addicted to; to indulge in
Definition
溺 (nì) is a written/formal verb: the literal sense is 'to drown'; figuratively, it means 'to be addicted to / indulge in' (as in 溺爱 to spoil, 沉溺 to be immersed in). Rare in spoken Chinese — usually appears in compounds or literary writing.
verb
to drownto be addicted toto indulge in
Examples
- ，。Tā zài hé lǐ nì shuǐ le, xìng hǎo bèi rén jiù qǐ.He drowned in the river, but luckily someone rescued him.
- ，。Fù mǔ bù yīng guò fèn nì ài hái zi, fǒu zé huì hài le tā men.Parents should not excessively dote on their children, or it will harm them.
- ，。Tā chén nì yú wǎng luò yóu xì, huāng fèi le xué yè.He indulged in online games and neglected his studies.
Origin
Sound + meaning六书liùshū
形声xíngshēngMost characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.
The left side 氵 is water; the right side 弱 gives the sound ruò.
Appears in
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