酥 (sū) — (of food) crisp, flaky, light and crumbly; (of body or limbs) limp, weak, soft; (of texture) silky and smooth
Definition
酥 focuses on texture — flaky, crumbly pastry, or limbs gone limp and soft. For crispy/crunchy food, use 脆; for truly soft/loose body parts, see 松弛.
adjective
(of food) crispflakylight and crumbly(of body or limbs) limpweaksoft(of texture) silky and smooth
Examples
- 酥。Zhè zhǒng diǎn xin chī qǐ lái hěn sū.This kind of pastry tastes very flaky and light.
- ，酥。Zǒu le yì tiān de lù, tuǐ dōu sū le.After walking all day, my legs feel completely limp.
- 酥。Zhè zhǒng hù fà sù ràng tóu fa biàn de hěn sū huá.This conditioner makes hair become very silky and smooth.
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yǒualcohol
Sound part声符shēngfú
穌
穌sū酥sū
Same sound today
酥 pairs 酉, a part associated with alcohol, with 穌, which supplies the sound sū.
Appears in
Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.