沾 (zhān): to moisten, to be infected by, to receive benefit or advantage through a contact
沾 (zhān) is a Chinese character meaning “to moisten.” Classified as HSK Level 7-9 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 氵 (semantic) and 占 (phonetic). It ranks #2327 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 沾 water. Its radical form 氵 (water) appears in many related characters such as 水 (shuǐ, water), 汉 (hàn, Han ethnic group), 汽 (qì, steam).
Definitions
- to moisten
- to be infected by
- to receive benefit or advantage through a contact
Etymology & Origin
Stroke Order
Practice writing 沾 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 沾满 | zhān mǎn | muddy |
| 沾沾自喜 | zhān zhān zì xǐ | immeasurably self-satisfied |
| 沾边 | zhān biān | to have a connection with |
| 沾染 | zhān rǎn | to pollute (often fig.) |
| 沾光 | zhān guāng | to bask in the light |
| 两手不沾阳春水 | liǎng shǒu bù zhān yáng chūn shuǐ | see 十指不沾陽春水|十指不沾阳春水[shi2 zhi3 bu4 zhan1 yang2 chun1 shui3] |
| 十指不沾阳春水 | shí zhǐ bù zhān yáng chūn shuǐ | to have no need to fend for oneself (idiom) |
| 脚不沾地 | jiǎo bù zhān dì | feet not touching the ground (idiom) |
| 放射性沾染物 | fàng shè xìng zhān rǎn wù | radioactive contaminant |
| 三不沾 | sān bù zhān | air ball (basketball) |
| 沾亲带故 | zhān qīn dài gù | (idiom) to have some sort of connection (personal or familial etc) |
| 放射性沾染 | fàng shè xìng zhān rǎn | radioactive contamination |
| 烟酒不沾 | yān jiǔ bù zhān | abstaining from liquor and tobacco |
| 沾染控制 | zhān rǎn kòng zhì | contamination control |
| 滴酒不沾 | dī jiǔ bù zhān | never to touch a drop of alcohol |
沾 appears in 27 compound words: 52 as the first character, 15 as the last, and 33 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 沾 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (6)
to never touch a drop of alcohol; to abstain from drinking; to be strictly teetotal
to fondle the flowers and trample the grass (idiom); to womanize; to frequent brothels
to never touch a drop of alcohol; to abstain from drinking; to be strictly teetotal
to fondle the flowers and trample the grass (idiom); to womanize; to frequent brothels
Example Sentences
站在桥上望去，沾水缓缓向东流去。
zhàn zài qiáo shǎng wàng qù , zhān shuǐ huǎn huǎn xiàng dōng liú qù .
Standing on the bridge, I watched the water slowly flow eastward.
...倒、众人踩 南亚科私募利多秒成云烟 集团沾光效应成泡影
. . . dǎo , zhòng rén cǎi nán yà kē sī mù lì duō miǎo chéng yún yān jí tuán zhān guāng xiào yīng chéng pāo yǐng
...With the collapse, everyone jumped on the bandwagon; the positive momentum for Nanya Technology’s private placement vanished in an instant, and the group’s spillover effect turned out to be a mirage.
...仔内/切割10余年心腹萧旭岑 马英九“不沾锅”性格依旧
. . . zǐ nèi qiē gē 1 0 yú nián xīn fù xiāo xù 岑 mǎ yīng jiǔ bù zhān guō xìng gé yī jiù
...After more than a decade of close collaboration, Ma Ying-jeou remains as aloof as ever
刷牙前先沾水?医:1错误动作害刷不干净
shuā yá qián xiān zhān shuǐ ? yī : 1 cuò wù dòng zuò hài shuā bù gān jìng
Wet your toothbrush before brushing? Doctor: This one mistake prevents thorough cleaning
...多“洗衣神物”特价!内行一次扛两箱:白T沾粉底口红都不怕
. . . duō xǐ yī shén wù tè jià ! nèi háng yī cì gāng liǎng xiāng : bái T zhān fěn de kǒu hóng dōu bù pà
...Special deals on "laundry must-haves"! Pros stock up on two boxes at a time: No need to worry about foundation or lipstick stains on white T-shirts
衣服沾上油渍怎么清洗？
Yīfu zhān shàng yóu zì zěnme qīngxǐ?
How do you clean oil stains off clothes?
犯罪现场发现了一把沾满鲜血的刀。
Fànzuìxiànchǎng fāxiàn le yī bǎ zhānmǎn xiānxuè de dāo.
A knife covered in blood was recovered at the crime scene.
炒蔬菜时，重要的是使用不沾锅。
Chǎo shūcài shí, zhòngyào de shì shǐyòng bùzhānguō.
When sautéing vegetables, it is important to use a non-stick pan.
他看上去沾沾自喜。
Tā kànshangqu zhānzhānzìxǐ.
He looks smug.
Character Family
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 沾 (zhān) mean in Chinese?
What's the difference between 沾 and 给?
How many strokes does 沾 have?
What is the radical of 沾?
What are the components of 沾?
What are common words containing 沾?
What characters sound the same as 沾 (zhān)?
Is 沾 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
Practice writing 沾 with real-time feedback
Trace stroke sequences, hear native pronunciation, and build lasting retention with spaced repetition in the HanziFeed app.