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品尝 (pǐn cháng) — to taste, to sample

Definition

品尝 (pǐncháng) means to taste or sample, usually carefully and appreciatively — closer to 'savor' than to plain 尝, which is a quick everyday taste. It implies taking deliberate time to appreciate flavor, as with wine or a dish.

verb
to tasteto sample

Examples

  • 品尝。
    Qǐng nín pǐn cháng yí xià zhè dào cài de wèi dào.
    Please taste the flavor of this dish.
  • 品尝，。
    Wǒ pǐn cháng guò zhè jiā diàn de kā fēi, fēi cháng hǎo hē.
    I've tasted the coffee at this shop; it's very good.
  • 品尝。
    Tā màn màn dì pǐn cháng zhe hóng jiǔ.
    He is slowly tasting the red wine.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

品pǐntaste
尝chángtaste

品 and 尝 both mean tasting, together giving to sample.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

品 repeats the same simple shape three times, representing various objects.

Open 品 →

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 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 6HSK 2.0 Level 6Senses

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