酒色 (jiǔ sè) — wine and women; sensual pleasures (often implying indulgence or depravity); flush (reddening of the face from drinking alcohol)

Definition

Literary/literary-classical noun with two senses: (1) drinking and sexual indulgence — a fixed pair implying moral decay, as in 沉溺酒色; (2) the facial flush caused by alcohol, as in 上了酒色.

noun
wine and womensensual pleasures (often implying indulgence or depravity)flush (reddening of the face from drinking alcohol)

Examples

  • 酒色，。
    Tā chén mí jiǔ sè, huāng fèi le shì yè.
    He indulged in sensual pleasures and neglected his career.
  • 酒色，。
    Lǎo nián rén yīng dāng jié zhì jiǔ sè, bǎo zhòng shēn tǐ.
    Elderly people should moderate their indulgence in sensual pursuits and take care of their health.
  • 酒色，。
    Tā yì hē jiǔ jiù shàng jiǔ sè, liǎn bǐ guān gōng hái hóng.
    As soon as he drinks, his face flushes redder than Guan Yu.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

酒jiǔwine
色sèsensual desire

酒 is wine and 色 refers to sensual desire, so the word pairs the two pleasures.

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
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 →

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

  • 爪爪zhuǎclaw; hand
  • 卩卩jiékneeling person

色 pairs 爪 (a hand) with 卩 (a kneeling person), showing a hand pressing down on the kneeling person.

Open 色 →

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