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酿酒 (niàng jiǔ) — to brew (alcoholic beverages); to make wine/beer/liquor

Definition

A separable verb: 酿 + 酒, meaning to brew or ferment alcoholic drinks (wine, beer, liquor). Refers to the production process itself, not drinking — contrast with 喝酒 ('drink alcohol') or the noun 酒 ('alcoholic beverages').

verb
to brew (alcoholic beverages)to make wine/beer/liquor

Examples

  • 酿酒。
    Tā yé ye yǐ qián kào niàng jiǔ wéi shēng.
    His grandfather used to make a living by brewing wine.
  • ，。
    Zhè jiā jiǔ chǎng niàng le sān shí nián jiǔ, wèi dào tè bié hǎo.
    This distillery has been making wine for thirty years, and the taste is especially good.
  • 。
    Tā měi nián qiū tiān dōu niàng yì pī jiǔ sòng gěi péng you.
    Every autumn he brews a batch of wine to give to friends.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

酿niàngferment
酒jiǔwine

酿 means to ferment, and 酒 is the liquid made, giving the sense of brewing wine.

Characters in this word

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 酿 →

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
Alcohol & TobaccoCooking

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