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葡萄酒 (pú tao jiǔ) — wine (grape wine)

Definition

Specifically grape wine — 葡萄 (grape) + 酒 (alcohol). 酒 by itself is the general word for any alcoholic drink; 葡萄酒 names the type made from grapes.

noun
wine (grape wine)
Measure word · 杯

Examples

  • 葡萄酒。
    Wǒ mǎi le yì píng pú tao jiǔ.
    I bought a bottle of wine.
  • 葡萄酒。
    Chī fàn de shí hou hē pú tao jiǔ hěn hǎo.
    It's nice to drink wine with a meal.
  • 葡萄酒。
    Wǒ sòng le yì píng pú tao jiǔ gěi péng you.
    I gave a bottle of wine as a gift.

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.

葡萄grape
葡pú萄táo
酒jiǔwine

葡萄 names the grape, and 酒 names wine, so the whole is grape wine.

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
艸艸cǎograss
Sound part声符shēngfú
匍
匍pú葡
Same sound today

葡 is built from 艸 (grass) plus 匍 as the sound part. For the grape meaning, the old explanation also links it to a sprout growing in a field, so the shape points to plants.

Open 葡 →

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
艹Written in full as艸cǎo
Sound part声符shēngfú
匋
匋táo萄
Same sound today

The top 艹 marks 萄 as a plant, and 匋 gives its sound. The part 匋 also points to making an earthenware jar, possibly for a plant used to make wine.

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
HSK 3.0 Level 4Alcohol & Tobacco

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