琼浆 (qióng jiāng) — (literary) fine wine, jade liquor

Definition

Literary/poetic term for fine wine — belongs to classical-style writing, not everyday speech.

noun

(literary) fine winejade liquor

琼浆。
Zhè bēi qióng jiāng zhēn shì měi wèi.
This cup of fine wine is truly delicious.
琼浆。
Gǔ rén cháng bǎ qióng jiāng bǐ zuò tiān shàng de yù yè.
Ancient people often compared fine wine to heavenly jade liquid.
琼浆。
qióng jiāng Shì gǔ dài guì zú cái néng xiǎng yòng de měi jiǔ.
Fine wine was a luxury that only ancient nobles could enjoy.

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

琼 likens the 浆 to jade, giving a literary name for fine wine.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 瓊; 琼 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

玉玉yùjade

Sound part声符shēngfú

夐

夐xuàn瓊qióng

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

The traditional form 瓊 pairs 玉 (jade) with 夐, which gives the sound.

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 漿; 浆 is its simplified writing.

將水漿

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

將

將jiāng漿jiāng

Same sound today

The traditional form 漿 uses 水 to show a liquid and 將 for the sound. The simplified 浆 is a later shorthand, so its shape is not the historical one.