Chinese word

气味

Pronunciation

Pinyinqì wèi

Meaning

  • nounsmell

Example

我房间里有气味。wǒ fáng jiān lǐ yǒu qì wèi

There is a smell in my room.

Illustration for 气味 (smell)

More examples

实验室里充斥着强烈的气味。shí yàn shì lǐ chōng chì zhe qiáng liè de qì wèi

The laboratory is filled with a strong smell.

Core concept

An airborne sensory quality that reveals what an object or environment gives off, with no built-in judgment of good or bad.

Common phrases

  • 难闻的气味nán wén de qì wèi

    unpleasant smell

  • 强烈的气味qiáng liè de qì wèi

    strong smell

  • 掩盖气味yǎn gài qì wèi

    cover up a smell

Similar words

味道wèi dào: The flavor felt in the mouth when eating or drinking.
香味xiāng wèi: A sweet, pleasant smell from food, flowers, or another fragrant source.
香气xiāng qì: A noticeable, powerful scent that rises from flowers, cooking, or other sources.
臭味chòu wèi: An unpleasant smell that is strong and easily noticed.

Definition in Chinese

表示散布在空气中、能被嗅觉察觉的味道，既包含香味也包含臭味，可用来描述物体或环境的气息。biǎo shì sàn bù zài kōng qì zhōng néng bèi xiù jué chá jué de wèi dào jì bāo hán xiāng wèi yě bāo hán chòu wèi kě yòng lái miáo shù wù tǐ huò huán jìng de qì xī

Word origin

气味 (qìwèi, "smell") is formed from 气 (qì, "air") + 味 (wèi, "taste"), extending the idea of taste from the mouth to a sensation carried in the air.

Usage tips

  • The measure word 股 (gǔ, "measure word for a flow") presents a smell as something arriving in a stream, which explains its frequent use with noticeable smells.

Other meanings

  • bad smellnoun
  • scentnoun

Related words

  • 气味儿qì wèirsmellnoun

Word lists with this word