饮水 (yǐn shuǐ) — to drink water | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

Formal/written verb for 'to drink water', as in 饮水机 (water dispenser). In everyday speech 喝水 is far more common.

verb

to drink water

Examples

饮水。
Yī shēng jiàn yì wǒ duō yǐn shuǐ.
The doctor advises me to drink more water.
。
Tā měi tiān yǐn bā bēi shuǐ.
He drinks eight glasses of water every day.
饮水。
Bàn gōng shì xīn mǎi le yì tái yǐn shuǐ jī.
The office bought a new water dispenser.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

饮 means drink and 水 is water, so the action is directed at water.

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.

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

水 is a simple drawing of water flowing.

Appears in

Beverages Daily Routine

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