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饮料 (yǐn liào) — beverage, drink

Definition

饮料 is the everyday word for any non-alcoholic drink or beverage — water, juice, soda, tea. Pairs with 喝 (the verb 'to drink'); 酒水 is the formal/commercial word for drinks at events.

noun
beveragedrink
Measure word · 杯

Examples

  • 。
    Wǒ xiǎng hē yì bēi rè yǐn liào.
    I want to drink a hot beverage.
  • 饮料。
    Xià tiān wǒ xǐ huan hē lěng de yǐn liào.
    In summer I like to drink cold beverages.
  • 饮料。
    Qǐng gěi wǒ yì píng yǐn liào.
    Please give me a bottle of beverage.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

饮yǐndrink
料liàomaterial

“饮” (drink) and “料” (material) combine to mean something for drinking.

Characters in this word

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 飲; 饮 is its simplified writing.

  • 酉酉yǒubottle (of alcoholic beverages)
  • 人人rénperson
  • 口口kǒumouth (occasionally with the tongue protruding)

The traditional form 飲 drew a person bending over a bottle to drink, with a mouth and droplets; this picture is about 飲, not the simplified 饮.

Open 饮 →

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

料 combines 米 (rice) with 斗 (a dipper), showing rice being measured or gauged.

Open 料 →
Appears in
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