蘸

• Pinyin: zhàn
• Hanzi breakdown: 蘸 = 艹 + 醮 (to dip) — dipping action like grass touching water

Meaning

To dip in; to soak briefly. To put something into liquid and quickly remove it.

Used for dipping food in sauce, dipping brush in ink, etc. Common collocations: 蘸酱 (dip in sauce), 蘸墨 (dip in ink), 蘸水 (dip in water). The action is quick and partial, not full immersion.

Examples

1. 北京烤鸭要蘸上甜面酱，配着葱丝一起吃。 Peking duck tastes best dipped in sweet bean sauce and eaten with slivers of scallion.
2. 书法家将毛笔蘸满墨汁，挥毫写下苍劲的大字。 The calligrapher dipped the brush fully in ink and swept out powerful characters.
3. 她把饺子蘸了蘸醋，小心地放进嘴里。 She dipped the dumpling in vinegar and carefully put it into her mouth.

Usage Guide

Context: cooking, calligraphy, eating

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 这种小笼包要蘸着姜丝醋一起吃才更美味。(These xiaolongbao are more delicious when dipped in ginger vinegar.)
• 写毛笔字时要注意蘸墨的多少，太多容易晕开。(When writing calligraphy, pay attention to how much ink you dip — too much will bleed.)

Don't Say

• 蘸进水里 — 蘸 is for brief contact; for full immersion use 浸泡 or 泡

Origin & History

Pictophonetic: 艹 (grass radical) + 醮 (phonetic/libation)

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal