醋 (cù): vinegar, jealousy (in love rivalry)
醋 (cù) is a Chinese character meaning “vinegar.” Classified as HSK Level 6 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 酉 (structural) and 昔 (structural). It ranks #2783 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 醋 aged 昔 wine 酉; wine gone sour. Its radical form 酉 (wine) appears in many related characters such as 配 (pèi, to join), 酸 (suān, sour), 醒 (xǐng, to wake up).
Definitions
- vinegar
- jealousy (in love rivalry)
Etymology & Origin
ideographicAged 昔 wine 酉; wine gone sour
Decomposition: ⿰酉昔 (layout: left-right)
Stroke Order
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Words & Compounds
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 吃醋verb | chī cù | to feel jealous (esp. because of a rival in love or affection) |
| 添油加醋phrase | tiān yóu jiā cù | (lit.) to add oil and vinegar (idiom) |
| 醋意noun | cù yì | jealousy (in love rivalry) |
| 醋栗noun | cù lì | gooseberry |
| 醋酸noun | cù suān | acetic acid (CH3COOH) |
| 油盐酱醋noun | yóu yán jiàng cù | (lit.) oil, salt, soy sauce and vinegar (idiom) |
| 半瓶醋noun | bàn píng cù | dabbler |
| 米醋 | mǐ cù | rice vinegar |
| 醋海生波 | cù hǎi shēng bō | lit. waves on a sea of vinegar |
| 争风吃醋phrase | zhēng fēng chī cù | to rival sb for the affection of a man or woman |
| 半瓶子醋noun | bàn píng zi cù | see 半瓶醋 |
| 争锋吃醋 | zhēng fēng chī cù | variant of 爭風吃醋|争风吃醋 |
| 醋劲儿 | cù jìn r | erhua variant of 醋勁|醋劲 |
| 加油添醋 | jiā yóu tiān cù | to add interest (to a story) |
| 白醋noun | bái cù | white vinegar |
醋 appears in 32 compound words: 31 as the first character, 47 as the last, and 22 in a middle position. Compound statistics computed from SUBTLEX-CH and HSK 3.0 vocabulary data.
Strongest Collocations
Characters that most frequently co-occur with 醋 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (6)
Example Sentences
我在字典里查到了醋字的详细解释。
wǒ zài zì diǎn lǐ chá dào le cù zì de xiáng xì xiè shì .
I looked up the detailed explanation of the character "醋" in the dictionary.
小妙招:可以尝试用香辛料调味,多放葱姜蒜、十三香,也可以放点醋来增加咸味。
xiǎo miào zhāo : kě yǐ cháng shì yòng xiāng xīn liào diào wèi , duō fàng cōng jiāng suàn , shí sān xiāng , yě kě yǐ fàng diǎn cù lái zēng jiā xián wèi .
Quick Tip: Try seasoning with spices—use plenty of scallions, ginger, and garlic, along with "Thirteen Spices"—or add a little vinegar to enhance the savory flavor.
误吞异物后,切勿采取吞饭团、喝醋、强行下咽等民间偏方。
wù tūn yì wù hòu , qiē wù cǎi qǔ tūn fàn tuán , hē cù , qiáng háng xià yān děng mín jiān piān fāng .
If you accidentally swallow a foreign object, do not try folk remedies such as swallowing a rice ball, drinking vinegar, or forcing it down your throat.
清炖甲鱼、香酥银鱼、老醋灌肠、榆社剔尖等本土味道,串联起太行小城的舌尖记忆。
qīng dùn jiǎ yú , xiāng sū yín yú , lǎo cù guàn cháng , 榆 shè tī jiān děng běn tǔ wèi dào , chuàn lián qǐ tài háng xiǎo chéng de shé jiān jì yì .
Local delicacies such as clear-broth soft-shelled turtle, crispy silver fish, sausage in aged vinegar, and Yushe “Tiji” connect the culinary memories of this small town in the Taihang Mountains.
马蜂(碱性毒液):使用食醋或柠檬汁。
mǎ fēng ( 碱 xìng dú yè ) : shǐ yòng shí cù huò 柠 檬 zhī .
Hornets (alkaline venom): Use vinegar or lemon juice.
...司店同期离场 尖沙咀十和田总店:潜心钻研醋饭温度
. . . sī diàn tóng qī lí chǎng jiān shā jǔ shí hé tián zǒng diàn : qián xīn zuān yán cù fàn wēn dù
...Both branches closed at the same time; Towa Main Store in Tsim Sha Tsui: Dedicated to perfecting the temperature of the vinegared rice
今天晚上吃糖醋排骨。
Jīntiān wǎnshang chī tángcù páigǔ.
I will eat sweet and sour spareribs tonight.
用拧檬汁代替醋。
Yòng níng méng zhī dàitì cù.
Use lemon juice instead of vinegar.
Character Family
Frequently Asked Questions
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What characters sound the same as 醋 (cù)?
Is 醋 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
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