浸泡 (jìn pào) — to steep, to soak, to immerse (in liquid) | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

浸泡 means to soak or steep something in liquid for a period of time, emphasizing the duration. Unlike 沉浸 (figurative immersion in an atmosphere) or 沐涻浴 (literary bathing), it stays literal; 沏 is specifically for brewing tea.

verb

to steepto soakto immerse (in liquid)

Examples

浸泡。
Dòu zi jìn pào zài shuǐ lǐ yí gè wǎn shàng jiù huì biàn dà.
Beans will swell after steeping in water overnight.
浸泡。
Xǐ yī fu zhī qián zuì hǎo xiān bǎ chèn shān jìn pào bàn xiǎo shí.
Before washing clothes, it's best to first soak the shirt for half an hour.
浸泡。
Dà mǐ jìn pào liǎng gè xiǎo shí hòu zài zhǔ bǐ jiào hǎo.
It's better to soak the rice for two hours and then cook it.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéCoordinate

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

浸jìnimmerse

“浸” gives immerse and “泡” gives soak, so together they mean to steep or soak in liquid.

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

Sound part声符shēngfú

𡩠

𡩠𡩠浸jìn

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

浸 is built from 水, meaning water, and 𡩠, which gives the sound.

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

氵包泡

Meaning part形符xíngfú

氵Written in full as水shuǐwater

Sound part声符shēngfú

包

包bāo泡pào

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

泡 combines 氵 (water) and 包, which supplies the sound. It conveys foam.

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 7-9 HSK 2.0 Level 6

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