调味 (tiáo wèi) — to season, to flavor (food) | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

调味 means to season or flavor food while cooking. Unlike 加 (add) or 放 (put in), 调味 focuses on adjusting the overall taste to get the right balance.

verb

to seasonto flavor (food)

Examples

调味。
Zhè dào cài hái xū yào tiáo wèi.
This dish still needs seasoning.
，？
Nǐ bāng wǒ tiáo yí xià wèi, yán fàng duō shǎo?
Help me season it — how much salt should I add?
调味。
Tā xǐ huan yòng hú jiāo tiáo wèi.
He likes to season with pepper.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

调 adjust and 味 taste/flavor, giving the action of seasoning.

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 調; 调 is its simplified writing.

言周調

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

周

周zhōu調tiáo

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 調 pairs 言 (speech) with 周, which shows how it was pronounced. The simplified 调 is a later shorthand.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

口未味

Meaning part形符xíngfú

口口kǒumouth

Sound part声符shēngfú

未

未wèi味wèi

Same sound today

味 combines 口 (mouth) with 未, which gives the sound wèi; the mouth part relates to taste.

Appears in

Cooking Flavors & Seasonings

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