Definition
嗅 (xiù) means 'to smell, to sniff' — it is a deliberate, active action (you lean in and sniff), unlike 闻 (wén) which can also mean 'to hear' in literary Chinese and is more general for perceiving a smell. 嗅 is often used for animals (e.g., police dogs) or careful human inspection, while 闻 is the everyday verb for 'to smell' in casual speech.
verb
to smellto sniff
Easily confused
- 臭chòulook-alikesmelly, stinky (literal)
- 修xiūsound-aliketo repair; to fix
- 锈xiùsound-alike(noun) rust
- 绣xiùsound-aliketo embroider
Examples
- ，嗅。Tā còujìn huāduǒ, qīngqīng xiù le yíxià.She leaned close to the flower and gave it a gentle sniff.
- 嗅，。Jǐngquǎn zhèngzài xiù xínglǐxiāng, xúnzhǎo wéijìnpǐn.The police dog is sniffing the suitcase, searching for contraband.
- 嗅，。Nǐ xiù yíxià zhè bēi chá, hǎoxiàng yǒu gǔ guàiwèi.Give this cup of tea a sniff — it seems to have a strange smell.
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