粘乎乎 (zhān hū hū) — sticky, slimy, gooey (vivid descriptor for texture or appearance)

Definition

Vivid, colloquial adjective for a sticky, gooey texture — stronger and more sensory than 粘 (nián), which is plain 'sticky' and often a classifier/verb. Often reduplicated as 粘乎乎的 after the noun.

adjective
stickyslimygooey (vivid descriptor for texture or appearance)
Easily confused

Examples

  • 粘乎乎，。
    Zhè wǎn miàn tiáo zhān hū hū de, wǒ chī bú xià qù.
    This bowl of noodles is sticky; I can't eat it.
  • 粘乎乎。
    Tā de shǒu shàng quán shì zhān hū hū de jiāo shuǐ.
    His hands are covered in sticky glue.
  • 粘乎乎。
    Zhè zhǒng táng fàng jiǔ le jiù huì biàn de zhān hū hū de.
    This kind of candy becomes gooey if kept for too long.

Origin

Derived word
构词法gòucífǎ
后缀hòuzhuìSuffix

A fixed syllable at the end that turns the word into a noun, a person, a place or the like.

粘niánsticky
乎乎suffix
乎hū乎hū

粘 with 乎乎 gives a sticky, slimy feel.

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
米米mǐrice
Sound part声符shēngfú
占
占zhàn粘zhān
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

粘 pairs 米 (rice) with 占, which gives the sound. The 米 part is the rice in glutinous, sticky rice.

Open 粘 →

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

  • 丂丂kǎobranch

The old 乎 paired an element for wind or air with 丂, a branch used as a sound part, and was the original form of the word for 'to call; to cry'.

Open 乎 →

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

  • 丂丂kǎobranch

The old 乎 paired an element for wind or air with 丂, a branch used as a sound part, and was the original form of the word for 'to call; to cry'.

Open 乎 →
Appears in
Texture & Quality

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