诱饵 (yòu ěr) — bait | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

A concrete thing used to lure (animal trap, police sting, scam ad). 诱惑 is the abstract act of tempting or the temptation itself — not a physical object.

noun

bait

Measure word · 个

Examples

诱饵。
Tā yòng yòu ěr lái yǐn yòu liè wù.
He uses bait to lure prey.
诱饵，。
Zhè ge guǎng gào zhǐ shì yòu ěr, bié shàng dàng.
This ad is just bait; don't fall for it.
诱饵。
Jǐng chá yòng jiǎ qián zuò yòu ěr zhuā zhù le xiǎo tōu.
The police used fake money as bait and caught the thief.

Origin

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.

诱 means to lure and 饵 is bait, so the thing is bait used to lure someone.

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 誘; 诱 is its simplified writing.

言秀誘

Meaning part形符xíngfú

言言yánword, language

Sound part声符shēngfú

秀

秀xiù誘yòu

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

The traditional form 誘 pairs 言 (word, language) with 秀, which supplies 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 餌; 饵 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

食食shíto eat

Sound part声符shēngfú

耳

耳ěr餌ěr

Same sound today

The traditional form 餌 pairs 食 (to eat) with 耳, which gives the sound; 饵 is a simplified shorthand.

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 7-9 Miscellaneous Objects

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