垂涎 (chuí xián) — to covet; to drool over (in desire) | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

Literary verb meaning 'to drool over / covet,' usually for food or wealth, stronger and more figurative than the plain 'want.' Often appears in the fixed phrase 垂涎三尺.

verb

to covetto drool over (in desire)

Examples

垂涎。
Wǒ chuí xián nà jiàn piào liang de yī fu.
I covet that beautiful dress.
垂涎。
Tā chuí xián péng you de cái fù yǐ jīng hěn jiǔ le.
He has been coveting his friend's wealth for a long time.
，垂涎。
Zhè dào cài xiāng qì pū bí, lìng rén chuí xián.
This dish is so aromatic it makes people drool.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

垂chuíhang down

垂 'hang down' and 涎 'saliva' picture drooling, hence coveting.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

𠂹𠂹𠂹
土土tǔ

垂 combines 𠂹 and 土 to draw flowers hanging down from a plant.

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

水水shuǐwater

Sound part声符shēngfú

延

延yán涎xián

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

涎 combines 水, which carries the meaning, with 延, which gives the sound.

Appears in

Emotions & Feelings

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