膏 (gāo) — (verb) to lubricate; (verb) to dip a brush in i…

Definition

As a verb, 膏 means 'to lubricate' (often with 油) or 'to work ink into a brush on the inkstone' before calligraphy or painting. Both senses are rare and formal, and the more common noun 膏 ('paste, ointment') is unrelated.

verb

to lubricateto dip a brush in ink and smooth it on the inkstone (a step in calligraphy or painting)

Examples

膏。
Jī qì xū yào dìng qī gāo yóu yǐ bǎo chí yùn zhuǎn shùn chàng.
Machines need regular lubrication to keep running smoothly.
膏，。
Shū fǎ jiā zài yàn tái shàng xiǎo xīn gāo bǐ, ràng bǐ fēng bǎo hán mò zhī.
The calligrapher carefully smooths the brush on the inkstone to fully saturate the tip with ink.
膏。
Chē mén jiǎo liàn xū yào gāo yóu le.
The car door hinges need lubrication.