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痛饮 (tòng yǐn) — to drink to one's heart's content; to drink heartily

Definition

Literary verb meaning 'to drink heartily / to one's heart's content', usually with alcohol. Stronger and more formal than everyday 喝 (hē), and often paired with 开怀 or 举杯 in poetic contexts.

verb
to drink to one's heart's contentto drink heartily

Examples

  • ，痛饮。
    Tā dé le guàn jūn, dāng wǎn jiù hé péng you men kāi huái tòng yǐn.
    He won the championship and drank heartily with his friends that very evening.
  • ，痛饮，。
    Lí bié zhī jì, dà jiā jǔ bēi tòng yǐn, qì fen gé wài rè liè.
    At the farewell, everyone raised their glasses and drank freely — the atmosphere was especially lively.
  • 痛饮。
    Gǔ dài shī rén cháng jiè tòng yǐn lái shū fā háo qíng zhuàng zhì.
    Ancient poets often used hearty drinking to express their lofty aspirations and bold sentiments.

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.

痛tòngheartily
饮yǐndrink

痛 (heartily) and 饮 (drink) combine to mean drink heartily.

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
疒疒nèillness
Sound part声符shēngfú
甬
甬yǒng痛tòng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The 疒 part means illness, and 甬 gives the sound; together they form 痛, meaning pain or hurt.

Open 痛 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 飲; 饮 is its simplified writing.

  • 酉酉yǒubottle (of alcoholic beverages)
  • 人人rénperson
  • 口口kǒumouth (occasionally with the tongue protruding)

The traditional form 飲 drew a person bending over a bottle to drink, with a mouth and droplets; this picture is about 飲, not the simplified 饮.

Open 饮 →
Appears in
Alcohol & Tobacco

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