酌 (zhuó) — to drink (wine or liquor), especially alone or in a relaxed setting; to consider, to deliberate (usually in compounds like 斟酌)
Definition
酌 (zhuó) means to sip wine or to consider carefully. As a standalone verb, it usually means drinking; the 'consider' sense appears mainly in the compound 斟酌.
verb
to drink (wine or liquor), especially alone or in a relaxed settingto considerto deliberate (usually in compounds like 斟酌)
Examples
- 酌。Tā xǐ huan yí gè rén dú zhuó.He likes to drink alone.
- 。Zhè ge wèn tí xū yào zǐ xì zhēn zhuó.This issue needs careful consideration.
- 酌。Jīn wǎn wǒ men xiǎo zhuó jǐ bēi.Tonight we'll have a few casual drinks.
Origin
Sound + meaning六书liùshū
形声xíngshēngMost characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.
Meaning part形符xíngfú
酉酉yǒu
Sound part声符shēngfú
勺
勺sháo酌zhuó
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.
酌 is built from 酉 and 勺, where 酉 relates to its meaning and 勺 supplies the sound.
Appears in
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