(yǐn) — addiction, craving

Definition

瘾 (yǐn) means a strong, harmful addiction — stronger and more negative than 欲望 ('desire') or 嗜好 ('indulgent hobby'); it implies a dependency you struggle to quit, like 网瘾 or 酒瘾.

noun
addictioncraving

Examples

  • Tā duì chōu yān yǒu yǐn.
    He has an addiction to smoking.
  • Zhè ge yǐn yǐ jīng yǐng xiǎng le tā de shēng huó.
    This addiction has already affected his life.
  • Tā zhèng zài nǔ lì jiè diào wǎng yǐn.
    She is trying hard to quit her internet addiction.

Origin

Sound + meaning
六书liùshū
形声xíngshēng

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 癮; 瘾 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
Sound part声符shēngfú
yǐnyǐn
Same sound today

The traditional form 癮 uses 疒 to show illness and 隱 for the sound; the simplified 瘾 is a shorthand, so its right side is not the historical sound part.

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