TongTong
Sign in

烧酒 (shāo jiǔ) — strong distilled liquor (e.g., Chinese shaojiu or Korean soju)

Definition

A strong, clear Chinese distilled liquor (e.g., baijiu-style), often made from grain or sweet potatoes. In everyday use it commonly refers to Korean soju as well.

noun
strong distilled liquor (e.g., Chinese shaojiu or Korean soju)
Measure word · 瓶

Examples

  • 烧酒。
    Wǒ xǐ huan hē hán guó de shāo jiǔ.
    I like to drink Korean soju.
  • 烧酒。
    Zhè píng shāo jiǔ shì péng you cóng zhōng guó dài lái de.
    This bottle of shaojiu was brought from China by a friend.
  • 烧酒。
    Dōng tiān hē shāo jiǔ néng ràng rén nuǎn huo qǐ lái.
    Drinking shaojiu in winter can warm people up.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

烧shāoburn
酒jiǔliquor

Burn plus liquor refers to strong liquor made by distillation.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 燒; 烧 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
火火huǒfire
Sound part声符shēngfú
堯
堯yáo燒shāo
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 燒 pairs 火 (fire) with 堯, which supplies the sound; the simplified 烧 is a shorthand.

Open 烧 →

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
水水shuǐ
Sound part声符shēngfú
酉
酉yǒu酒jiǔ
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

酒 pairs 酉, the original picture for this word, with 水 (water), added later to distinguish it.

Open 酒 →
Appears in
Alcohol & Tobacco

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