滋味

• Pinyin: zī wèi
• Hanzi breakdown: 滋 = 氵 + 兹 (flavor); 味 = 口 + 未 (taste)

Meaning

Taste; flavor; feeling. The sensation of flavor, or the emotional experience of something.

Literally refers to the taste of food, but frequently used metaphorically to describe emotional experiences or the quality of an experience. Common in expressions about life experiences, both pleasant and unpleasant.

Examples

1. 这道菜滋味独特。 This dish has a unique flavor.
2. 失败的滋味不好受。 The taste of failure is hard to take.
3. 他尝到了成功的滋味。 He got a taste of success.

Usage Guide

Context: food, emotional, literary

Tone: reflective

Do Say

• 离乡背井的滋味只有经历过的人才懂。(Only those who have experienced it understand the feeling of leaving one's homeland.)
• 心里不是滋味。(Feeling uncomfortable in one's heart.)

Don't Say

• 什么滋味的? — use 什么味道 when asking about food taste directly

Origin & History

滋 (flavor, nourish) + 味 (taste)

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal