涩 (sè) — astringent, puckery (of taste, e.g., unripe fruit, strong tea); rough, not smooth (of texture or surface); obscure, difficult to follow (of writing or style)
Definition
An adjective covering three senses: an astringent, puckery taste (unripe fruit, strong tea); a rough texture or surface; and an obscure, hard-to-follow writing style (often paired as 晦涩).
adjective
astringentpuckery (of taste, e.g., unripe fruit, strong tea)roughnot smooth (of texture or surface)obscuredifficult to follow (of writing or style)
Examples
- 涩，。Zhè ge shì zi hěn sè, hái méi shú tòu.This persimmon is very astringent — it's not fully ripe yet.
- 涩，。Mù bǎn de biǎo miàn hěn sè, xū yào dǎ mó yí xià.The surface of the wooden plank is very rough; it needs sanding.
- ，。Zhè piān gǔ wén yǔ yán huì sè, bù róng yì dú dǒng.This classical text has obscure language and is not easy to understand.
Appears in
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