香喷喷 (xiāng pēn pēn) — (state adjective, of food) savory and fragrant,…

Definition

A vivid, reduplicated state adjective meaning 'savory and fragrant' — used almost entirely for food smells that make you want to eat. Less common than 香 on its own; reserved for emphasizing an appetizing aroma.

bound form

(state adjective, of food) savory and fragrantappetizing

Examples

香喷喷，。
Gāng chū guō de jiǎo zi xiāng pēn pēn de, ràng rén zhí liú kǒu shuǐ.
The freshly boiled dumplings are steaming and fragrant, making people drool.
香喷喷。
Mā ma zuò le yì zhuō xiāng pēn pēn de cài.
Mom made a whole table of delicious-smelling dishes.
，香喷喷。
Kǎo yā duān shàng lái de shí hou, zhěng gè fáng jiān dōu xiāng pēn pēn de.
When the roast duck was brought in, the whole room was filled with its savory aroma.

Origin

Derived word

构词法gòucífǎ

后缀hòuzhuìSuffix

A fixed syllable at the end that turns the word into a noun, a person, a place or the like.

香xiāngfragrant

喷喷

喷pēnspray喷pēnspray

重叠Reduplication

香 means fragrant, and 喷喷 gives a vivid sense of savory aroma.

Characters in this word

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

黍黍shǔglutinous millet
口口kǒumouth

香's early form paired 黍 (glutinous millet) with 口 (mouth), perhaps showing millet drink being taken in or offered.

Open 香 →

Most 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 噴; 喷 is its simplified writing.

口賁噴

Meaning part形符xíngfú

口口kǒumouth

Sound part声符shēngfú

賁

賁bì噴pēn

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 噴 pairs 口, mouth, with 賁 for the sound; the simplified 喷 is a later shorthand.

Open 喷 →