沉溺 (chén nì) — to indulge excessively (in vices, bad habits);… | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

Stronger and more literary than 沉迷 — emphasizes being sunk in and unable to pull free, used for vices or painful emotions. Often takes 于 or 在…中.

verb

to indulge excessively (in vices, bad habits)to be addictedto sinkto submerge (in water)

Examples

沉溺，。
Tā chén nì yú wǎng luò yóu xì, wú fǎ zì bá.
He is addicted to online games, unable to extricate himself.
沉溺。
Bié chén nì zài guò qù de tòng kǔ zhōng.
Don't wallow in the pain of the past.
沉溺。
Xiǎo chuán chén nì zài shuǐ zhōng.
The small boat sank in the water.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

沉 (sink) and 溺 (drown) combine to suggest being sunk deep into something, hence indulging excessively.

Characters in this word

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

氵弱溺

Meaning part形符xíngfú

氵Written in full as水shuǐwater

Sound part声符shēngfú

弱

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

The left side 氵 is water; the right side 弱 gives the sound ruò.

Appears in

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