粘稠 (nián chóu) — thick and sticky, viscous | tongtong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

adjective

thick and stickyviscous

Examples

粘稠。
Zhè zhǒng tāng hěn nián chóu.
This kind of soup is very thick and sticky.
粘稠。
Fēng mì shì yì zhǒng nián chóu de yè tǐ.
Honey is a viscous liquid.
粘稠。
Zhè xiē yán liào yǐ jīng biàn de fēi cháng nián chóu le.
These paints have become very thick and sticky.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéSide by side

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

粘 gives stickiness, 稠 thickness: thick and sticky.

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.

米占粘

Meaning part形符xíngfú

米米mǐrice

Sound part声符shēngfú

占

占zhàn粘zhān

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

粘 pairs 米 (rice) with 占, which gives the sound. The 米 part is the rice in glutinous, sticky rice.

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

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