饱尝 (bǎo cháng) — to fully taste or experience (especially hardship, suffering, or bitterness)

Definition

A formal/literary verb meaning 'to fully experience' — almost always hardship, suffering, or the bitter side of life. The sense is enduring something deeply and completely, not brief or pleasant taste.

verb
to fully taste or experience (especially hardship, suffering, or bitterness)

Examples

  • 饱尝。
    Tā zài zhàn luàn zhōng bǎo cháng le rén jiān de kǔ nàn.
    He fully tasted the suffering of the world during the war.
  • 饱尝。
    Zhè wèi lǎo rén yì shēng bǎo cháng le shì tài yán liáng.
    This old man has fully experienced the fickleness of the world in his life.
  • ，饱尝。
    Chuàng yè zhī chū, tā bǎo cháng le shī bài de zī wèi.
    At the start of his business, he fully tasted the flavor of failure.

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.

饱bǎofull
尝chángtaste

'饱' conveys fullness in '尝' taste, meaning to taste or experience thoroughly.

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 飽; 饱 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
食食shífood
Sound part声符shēngfú
包
包bāo飽bǎo
Same sound today

The traditional form 飽 uses 食 to mark food/eating and 包 for the sound.

Open 饱 →

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 嘗; 尝 is its simplified writing.

The simplified 尝 stands for more than one traditional character. In most words (尝, 尝试) it is 嘗; in others (品尝) it is 嚐.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
旨旨zhǐtasty
Sound part声符shēngfú
尚
尚shàng嘗cháng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 嘗 pairs 旨 (tasty) with 尚, which supplies the sound; the simplified 尝 is a later shorthand.

Open 尝 →

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