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味道 (wèi dào) — (noun) taste; flavor; (noun, figurative) sense; hint; feeling; (noun, informal/dialect) smell; odor

Definition

味道 (wèi dao) is the everyday word for 'taste/feel' of food or experiences. 口味 is 'taste' as a personal preference; 气味/气息 lean toward 'smell'. 趣味 means 'fun/interest', not a sensory impression.

noun
tasteflavor(noun, figurative) sensehintfeeling(noun, informal/dialect) smellodor
Measure word · 种

Examples

  • 味道。
    Zhè ge cài de wèi dào hěn hǎo.
    This dish tastes very good.
  • 味道。
    Tā de huà lǐ yǒu yì zhǒng qí guài de wèi dào.
    There is a strange feeling/hint in his words.
  • 味道。
    Fáng jiān lǐ de wèi dào hěn nán wén.
    The smell in the room is very unpleasant.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

味wèitaste
道dàoflavor

味 (taste) and 道 (flavor) together name taste, a hint, or a smell.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
口口kǒumouth
Sound part声符shēngfú
未
未wèi味wèi
Same sound today

味 combines 口 (mouth) with 未, which gives the sound wèi; the mouth part relates to taste.

Open 味 →

Most 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
行行xíngstreet
止止zhǐfoot
Sound part声符shēngfú
𩠐
首shǒu道dào
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

Early 道 showed a street 行, a foot 止, and a part written 首 or 𩠐; the right part of 行 later disappeared.

Open 道 →
Appears in
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