搀 (chān) — to take by the arm and assist (e.g., an elderly or injured person); to mix, blend, dilute, or adulterate (one substance into another)
Definition
搀 has two unrelated senses: 'take by the arm and help' (a person) and 'mix in, dilute, adulterate' (a substance). The mixing sense overlaps with 掺 (the same word, used for substances only) and 混合. 搀扶 is a set verb-object pattern.
verb
to take by the arm and assist (e.g., an elderly or injured person)to mixblenddiluteor adulterate (one substance into another)
Examples
- 搀。Tā chān zhe nǎi nai màn màn zǒu guò mǎ lù.He took his grandmother by the arm and slowly helped her cross the street.
- 搀，。Zhè zhǒng guǒ zhī lǐ chān le tài duō shuǐ, wèi dào hěn dàn.This juice has been diluted with too much water; the flavor is very weak.
- 搀。Shāng jiā wǎng niú nǎi lǐ chān dōng xī shì wéi fǎ de.It is illegal for businesses to adulterate milk with anything.
Origin
Sound + meaning六书liùshū
形声xíngshēngMost 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 攙; 搀 is its simplified writing.
Sound part声符shēngfú
毚
毚chán攙chān
Same sound today
The traditional form 攙 pairs 手 with a sound component, 毚; the simplified 搀 is a later shorthand.
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