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陶醉 (táo zuì) — to be deeply absorbed in (a pleasant experience); to revel in; to be enchanted by

Definition

陶醉 is a literary verb meaning 'to be enchanted, to revel in' — usually in something pleasant like music, scenery, or one's own work. It is positive and aesthetic, unlike 沉迷/痴迷 which carry a warning of excess, or 迷恋 which implies romantic fixation.

verb
to be deeply absorbed in (a pleasant experience)to revel into be enchanted by

Examples

  • 陶醉，。
    Tā táo zuì zài gǔ diǎn yīn yuè zhōng, wán quán wàng jì le shí jiān.
    He was so enchanted by classical music that he completely lost track of time.
  • ，陶醉。
    Kàn dào rú cǐ zhuàng lì de rì luò, dà jiā dōu táo zuì le.
    Seeing such a magnificent sunset, everyone was intoxicated.
  • 陶醉，。
    Tā táo zuì yú zì jǐ chuàng zuò de huà zuò zhōng, gǎn dào wú bǐ mǎn zú.
    She reveled in her own painting, feeling immensely satisfied.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

陶táohappy/pleased
醉zuìdrunk

陶醉 blends 陶, happy or pleased, with 醉, drunk, to express being deeply absorbed in something pleasant.

Characters in this word

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

  • 阜阜fùmound of dirt
  • 勹勹bāotwo people
  • 土土tǔearth

The oldest 陶 paired 阜 (mound of dirt) with 勹 (two people) and 土 (earth), showing digging; the parts below 勹 later changed.

Open 陶 →

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
酉酉yǒualcoholic drink
Sound part声符shēngfú
卒
卒zú醉zuì
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

醉 combines 酉, a sign for alcoholic drink, with 卒, which supplies the sound.

Open 醉 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Emotions & Feelings

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.