Chinese word

洒

Pronunciation

Pinyinsǎ

Meaning

  • verbspill

Example

他不小心把杯子里的茶洒了。tā bù xiǎo xīn bǎ bēi zi lǐ de chá sǎ le

He accidentally spilled the tea from the cup.

Illustration for 洒 (spill)

More examples

工人为了防尘把水洒在路面上。gōng rén wéi le fáng chén bǎ shuǐ sǎ zài lù miàn shàng

The workers sprinkled water on the road to keep down dust.

Core concept

Liquid escapes its container and spreads outward in drops or a thin layer.

Common phrases

  • 洒在地上sǎ zài dì shàng

    spill onto the ground

  • 洒出sǎ chū

    spill out

  • 洒满地sá mǎn dì

    spill across the ground

Similar words

撒sā: To spread powder or small particles over an area by hand or with a tool.
溅jiàn: To splash when liquid hits something, sending small drops through the air.
溢yì: To flow over the edge of a container because there is too much liquid.
漏lòu: To escape slowly through a hole, crack, or loose connection, as liquid or gas.

Definition in Chinese

使液体从器皿、手上或容器口流出并散布到周围，侧重液体的散落或溢出这一动作。shǐ yè tǐ cóng qì mǐn shǒu shàng huò róng qì kǒu liú chū bìng sàn bù dào zhōu wéi cè zhòng yè tǐ de sàn luò huò yì chū zhè yí dòng zuò

Word origin

洒 (sǎ, "spill") is the simplified form of the traditional character, and its water radical links the written form to liquid while the other component helps represent the sound.

Usage tips

  • English often makes a sharper choice between accidental loss and deliberate distribution, but Chinese can use this verb for either, so the surrounding context shows the speaker's intention.

Other meanings

  • scatterverb
  • sprinkleverb

Opposites

Related words

  • 喷洒pēn sǎsprayverb
  • 洒水sá shuǐsprinkle waterverb
  • 洒脱sǎ tuōfree and easyadjective

Word lists with this word