馋 (chán) — (adjective) gluttonous, greedy for food; fond of eating; (verb) to crave (a specific food); to have a hankering for
Definition
馋 (chán) is about craving food — either a habitual fondness (an adjective: gluttonous) or a momentary hankering (a verb: 'I'm craving hotpot'). Unlike 贪婪 or 贪 (greed for money/power), 馋 is only for food.
adjective
gluttonousgreedy for foodfond of eating
verb
to crave (a specific food)to have a hankering for
Examples
- 馋，。Tā tè bié chán, kàn jiàn hǎo chī de jiù zǒu bú dòng lù.He's such a foodie — when he sees good food he can't walk away.
- 馋，。Wǒ chán huǒ guō le, jīn wǎn qù chī ba.I'm craving hotpot — let's go eat it tonight.
- 馋。Tā chán nà jiā diàn de dàn gāo le.He's craving the cake from that shop.
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.
This origin belongs to the traditional form 饞; 馋 is its simplified writing.
Sound part声符shēngfú
毚
毚chán饞chán
Same sound today
The traditional form 饞 has 食 (to eat; food) on the left and 毚 on the right, with 毚 giving the sound; the simplified 馋 is a shorthand and its right side is not 毚.
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