味 (wèi) — taste, flavor; smell, odor
Definition
味 is a bound noun meaning 'taste/flavor' or 'smell' — almost always part of a compound like 味道 or 气味, not used alone in modern speech.
noun
tasteflavorsmellodor
Measure word · 种
Easily confused
- 未wèilook-alikenot yet; have not; did not (formal/literary negation placed before a verb)
- 位wèisound-alike(classifier, polite) for people
- 喂wèisound-alike(interjection) hey! hello? (used to attract attention or answer a phone call)
- 喂wèisound-alike(interjection) hello? (used to answer the phone)
- 胃wèisound-alikestomach
Examples
- 。Zhè pán cài wèi dào bú cuò.This dish tastes pretty good.
- 。Fáng jiān lǐ yǒu yì gǔ qí guài de wèi dào.There is a strange smell in the room.
- ，。Wǒ cháng le cháng, wèi dào hěn tián.I tasted it; the flavor is very sweet.
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.
味 combines 口 (mouth) with 未, which gives the sound wèi; the mouth part relates to taste.
Appears in
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