TongTong
Sign in

涅 (niè) — (literary) black mud; to dye black

Definition

Literary bound form used mostly in the Buddhist term 涅槃 (nirvana) and in classical Chinese for black mud. Learners will almost never see it alone — recognize it as the first half of 涅槃.

bound form
(literary) black mudto dye black

Examples

  • ，涅槃。
    Zài fó jiào zhōng, niè pán shì jiě tuō de zuì gāo jìng jiè.
    In Buddhism, nirvana is the highest state of liberation.
  • 。
    Zhè ge zì zài gǔ dài wén xiàn zhōng cháng biǎo shì hēi sè de ní.
    This character often denotes black mud in ancient texts.
  • ‘涅’。
    Tā yán jiū gǔ hàn yǔ shí xué guò 'niè' zhè ge zì.
    He learned the character '涅' while studying classical Chinese.

Origin

Compound ideograph
六书liùshū
会意huìyì

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

涅 puts together 氵 (water) and 土 (soil), while 日 gives the sound.

Appears in
Colors

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.