Chinese word

添

Pronunciation

Pinyintiān

Meaning

  • verbadd

Example

服务员，请再添一点汤。fú wù yuán qǐng zài tiān yì diǎn tāng

Waiter, please add a little more soup.

Illustration for 添 (add)

More examples

这幅海报为活动添了不少色彩。zhè fú hǎi bào wèi huó dòng tiān le bù shǎo sè cǎi

This poster added a lot of color to the event.

Core concept

A small amount joins what is already there, bringing the supply or serving to a fuller level.

Common phrases

  • 添麻烦tiān má fán

    cause inconvenience

  • 添汤tiān tāng

    add soup

  • 添上签名tiān shàng qiān míng

    append a signature

  • 添彩tiān cǎi

    add color

Similar words

加jiā: Put something together with an existing thing or amount.
增加zēng jiā: Make the quantity or degree of something greater.
添加tiān jiā: Add an ingredient or element as a new part of something.
补充bǔ chōng: Provide what is needed to make up for a missing or insufficient part.

Definition in Chinese

在已有的事物上增加或附加某物，通常指补充或加量的动作，常用于添汤、添菜等场合。zài yí yǒu de shì wù shàng zēng jiā huò fù jiā mǒu wù tōng cháng zhǐ bǔ chōng huò jiā liàng de dòng zuò cháng yòng yú tiān tāng tiān cài děng chǎng hé

Word origin

The character is a semantic-phonetic formation in which the water radical marks the semantic side and the other component supplies the pronunciation; its meaning now extends beyond liquids.

Usage tips

  • English speakers often reserve "refill" for containers, but this verb also works for adding more food or soup to a serving at the table.

Other meanings

  • top upverb
  • increaseverb

Opposites

Related words

  • 添加tiān jiāaddverb
  • 添补tiān bǔfill inverb
  • 添置tiān zhìpurchase additional itemsverb

Word lists with this word