醋 (cù) — vinegar; (figurative) jealousy (in romantic rivalry)
Definition
A concrete noun meaning the sour condiment vinegar, plus a fixed expression 吃醋 ('get jealous') about a love rival. Not a near-synonym of 酿造 — 酿造 is the verb for brewing vinegar, not vinegar itself.
noun
vinegar(figurative) jealousy (in romantic rivalry)
Measure word · 瓶
Easily confused
Examples
- 醋。Wǒ mā ma zuò cài xǐ huan fàng cù.My mom likes to put vinegar in her cooking.
- ，醋。Tā kàn dào nán péng you hé bié de nǚ shēng shuō huà, jiù chī le cù.She saw her boyfriend talking to another girl and got jealous.
- 醋。Shān xī de cù hěn yǒu míng.Shanxi vinegar is very famous.
Origin
Sound + meaning六书liùshū
形声xíngshēngMost 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
酉酉yǒu
Sound part声符shēngfú
昔
昔xī醋cù
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.
醋 is formed by placing 酉 beside 昔; 昔 supplies the sound, and 酉 marks the meaning.
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