正酣 (zhèng hān) — (literary) in full swing; at its height; in the thick of

Definition

Literary 'at its height, in full swing' — used for events like games, discussions, or drinking that are at their most intense peak.

adjective
(literary) in full swingat its heightin the thick of

Examples

  • 正酣，。
    Bǐ sài zhèng hān, guān zhòng men dōu hěn xīng fèn.
    The game was in full swing, and the audience was very excited.
  • 正酣，。
    Tā men jiǔ xìng zhèng hān, tán tiān shuō dì.
    They were deep in their cups, chatting about everything.
  • 正酣，。
    Tǎo lùn zhèng hān shí, tā tū rán tí chū le yí gè xīn wèn tí.
    When the discussion was at its height, he suddenly raised a new question.

Origin

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
止止zhǐ
Sound part声符shēngfú
丁
丁dīng正zhèng
Same sound today

正 pairs 止 with 丁; 止 marks the sense and 丁 gives the sound.

Open 正 →

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
酉酉yǒualcohol<!--
Sound part声符shēngfú
甘
甘gān酣hān
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

酣 joins 酉, tied to alcohol, with 甘, a part that supplies the sound and also means sweet.

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