香精 (xiāng jīng) — flavoring essence, flavor concentrate (general, for food or other products); (specifically) vanilla essence

Definition

Refers to a manufactured flavoring concentrate — a liquid essence used in baking, candy, cosmetics, etc., not a fresh spice or herb. The 香 in 香精 points to aroma/flavor, while 精 marks it as a refined, concentrated extract.

noun
flavoring essenceflavor concentrate (general, for food or other products)(specifically) vanilla essence

Examples

  • 香精。
    Zuò dàn gāo de shí hou kě yǐ jiā yì diǎn níng méng xiāng jīng.
    You can add a little lemon flavoring essence when making a cake.
  • 香精。
    Zhè zhǒng xiāng jīng shì cóng tiān rán zhí wù zhōng tí qǔ de.
    This type of essence is extracted from natural plants.
  • 香精，、。
    Chāo shì lǐ de xiāng jīng zhǒng lèi hěn duō, yǒu cǎo méi, qiǎo kè lì hé xiāng cǎo wèi.
    There are many kinds of flavoring essences in the supermarket, including strawberry, chocolate, and vanilla.

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.

香xiāngfragrant
精jīngessence

'香' indicates fragrance and '精' an extracted essence.

Characters in this word

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

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
米米mǐrice
Sound part声符shēngfú
青
青qīng精jīng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

精 pairs 米 (rice) with 青, which gives the sound; the character originally meant polished rice.

Open 精 →

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