酿造

• Pinyin: niàng zào
• Hanzi breakdown: 酿 = 酉 (wine vessel/alcohol radical) + 襄 (assist, support) — to nurture alcohol to completion; 造 = 辶 (movement) + 告 (declare) — to bring into being

Meaning

To brew; to ferment; to produce through a fermentation process, such as wine, vinegar, or beer.

Primarily used for traditional or craft-based fermentation of alcoholic beverages, vinegar, soy sauce, and similar products. Also used metaphorically: 酿造了一场危机 (brewed a crisis). Distinguish from 制造 (manufacture) — 酿造 implies a natural, time-intensive biological process. Key collocations: 酿造工艺 (brewing technique), 酿造业 (fermentation industry), 手工酿造 (hand-crafted brewing).

Examples

1. 这家百年老店坚持以传统工艺酿造黄酒，所用的粮食均来自当地精心挑选的糯米，口感醇厚绵长。 This century-old shop insists on brewing huangjiu with traditional methods, using carefully selected local glutinous rice, resulting in a rich, mellow flavor that lingers.
2. 酿造优质葡萄酒不仅需要优良的葡萄品种，还需要适宜的气候、精湛的酿造工艺和漫长的窖藏时间。 Brewing high-quality wine requires not only excellent grape varieties but also the right climate, skilled craftsmanship, and a long period of cellar aging.
3. 酱油和醋都是中国烹饪中不可缺少的调味品，其酿造历史可以追溯到几千年前。 Soy sauce and vinegar are both indispensable seasonings in Chinese cooking, and their brewing history can be traced back thousands of years.

Usage Guide

Context: food and drink, industry, tradition, culture

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 这座小镇世代以酿造米酒为生，所产的酒远近闻名，每年吸引大批游客前来参观酿酒作坊，体验传统工艺的魅力。(This small town has lived by brewing rice wine for generations — the wine produced here is renowned far and wide, attracting large numbers of tourists each year to visit the brewing workshops and experience the charm of traditional craftsmanship.)
• 当地政府大力支持传统酿造企业申报非物质文化遗产，以保护这项延续千年的手工酿造技艺不至于失传。(The local government strongly supports traditional brewing enterprises in applying for intangible cultural heritage status, in order to protect this thousand-year-old handcrafted brewing skill from being lost.)

Don't Say

• 用'酿造'描述一般的工业生产或制造过程 — 酿造 specifically refers to fermentation-based production; for general manufacturing, use 制造, 生产, or 加工 instead

Origin & History

酿 (to brew/ferment) + 造 (to make/create) — to create through fermentation

Cultural Context

Era: Ancient to modern

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal