陈 (chén) — old, stale, aged (of wine or food)
Definition
Literary adjective for things aged or mellowed over time — especially wine, liquor, and preserved foods. Far less common in speech than 新 (fresh), and mostly seen in writing or on product labels.
adjective
oldstaleaged (of wine or food)
Examples
- 陈，。Zhè píng hóng jiǔ shì chén niàng, wèi dào fēi cháng hǎo.This bottle of red wine is aged and tastes great.
- ，。Zhè xiē shí wù yǐ jīng chén fǔ le, bù néng chī le.These food items have gone stale and can't be eaten.
- ，。Zhè tán jiǔ shì chén nián de, hē qǐ lái hěn chún hòu.This jar of wine is aged and tastes very mellow.
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.
This origin belongs to the traditional form 陳; 陈 is its simplified writing.
Meaning part形符xíngfú
阜阜fùmound
Sound part声符shēngfú
東
東dōng陳chén
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.
The traditional form 陳 pairs 阜 (mound) with 東 as a sound component.
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