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怪味 (guài wèi) — unusual taste, odd flavor; something wrong, something suspicious (figurative)

Definition

怪味 means 'a strange or off taste' — a flavor that seems wrong or suspicious, not just unusual. In figurative use it signals something feels off or fishy.

noun
unusual tasteodd flavorsomething wrongsomething suspicious (figurative)

Examples

  • 怪味，。
    Zhè pán cài yǒu guài wèi, bié chī le.
    This dish has a strange taste — don't eat it.
  • 怪味。
    Wǒ zǒng jué de zhè shì qing yǒu guài wèi.
    I always feel there's something fishy about this matter.
  • 怪味。
    Niú nǎi fàng tài jiǔ huì yǒu guài wèi.
    Milk left for too long will develop a funny taste.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

怪guàistrange
味wèitaste

怪味 joins 怪 (strange) and 味 (taste) to mean an odd flavor or something suspicious.

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
忄Written in full as心xīn
Sound part声符shēngfú
圣
圣shèng怪guài
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

怪 is built from 忄, a form of 心, which relates to mind or feeling, and 圣, which gives the sound.

Open 怪 →

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 →
Appears in
Flavors & Seasonings

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