滋味 (zī wèi) — taste, flavor; (figurative) feeling, experience | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

滋味 stresses the personal experience of a taste or feeling — often with a hint of savoring. 味道 is the neutral 'taste/flavor' of something; 感受 is the broader 'feeling/experience'.

noun

tasteflavor(figurative) feelingexperience

Examples

滋味。
Wǒ xǐ huan zhè zhǒng shuǐ guǒ de zī wèi.
I like the taste of this fruit.
滋味。
Tā dì yī cì cháng dào le chéng gōng de zī wèi.
He tasted the feeling of success for the first time.
滋味。
Shī bài de zī wèi ràng tā gèng jiā nǔ lì.
The taste of failure made him work harder.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

滋味 brings 滋 and 味 together for taste or feeling.

Characters in this word

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

Sound part声符shēngfú

茲

茲zī滋zī

Same sound today

滋 pairs 水 (water) with 茲, which gives it its sound.

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

口未味

Meaning part形符xíngfú

口口kǒumouth

Sound part声符shēngfú

未

未wèi味wèi

Same sound today

味 combines 口 (mouth) with 未, which gives the sound wèi; the mouth part relates to taste.

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 7-9 HSK 2.0 Level 6 Flavors & Seasonings Emotions & Feelings 5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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