Chinese word

吸收

Pronunciation

Pinyinxī shōu

Meaning

  • verbabsorb

Example

植物通过根吸收水分和养分。zhí wù tōng guò gēn xī shōu shuǐ fèn hé yǎng fèn

Plants absorb water and nutrients through their roots.

Illustration for 吸收 (absorb)

More examples

孩子们通过阅读慢慢吸收新知识。hái zi men tōng guò yuè dú màn màn xī shōu xīn zhī shí

The children slowly absorb new knowledge through reading.

Core concept

Something from outside crosses into a person, organism, or system and becomes part of its usable store.

Common phrases

  • 吸收水分xī shōu shuǐ fèn

    absorb water

  • 吸收养分xī shōu yǎng fèn

    absorb nutrients

  • 吸收知识xī shōu zhī shí

    absorb knowledge

Similar words

吸取xī qǔ: Drawing in liquid, information, or lessons and putting them to practical use.
接受jiē shòu: Accepting and receiving an offer, help, opinion, or other thing given by someone.

Definition in Chinese

把外来的物质、能量或信息通过某种方式引入自身，并在体内或体系内保存或利用；既可指液体或气体的吸取，也可指知识、经验等的内化。bǎ wài lái de wù zhì néng liàng huò xìn xī tōng guò móu zhǒng fāng shì yǐn rù zì shēn bìng zài tǐ nèi huò tǐ xì nèi bǎo cún huò lì yòng jì kě zhǐ yè tǐ huò qì tǐ de xī qǔ yě kě zhǐ zhī shí jīng yàn děng de nèi huà

Word origin

吸 (xī, "draw in") + 收 (shōu, "gather and keep") form a verb for bringing something inward and retaining it for use.

Usage tips

  • English speakers often connect absorb only with liquids, but this Chinese verb also applies naturally to knowledge and experience in everyday talk about learning.

Other meanings

  • take inverb
  • soak upverb

Opposites

Word lists with this word