Chinese word

腥

Pronunciation

Pinyinxīng

Meaning

  • adjectivefishy

Example

这鱼有点腥。zhè yú yóu diǎn xīng

This fish has a slightly fishy smell.

Illustration for 腥 (fishy)

More examples

汤里放几片姜可以去掉腥味。tāng lǐ fàng jǐ piàn jiāng ké yǐ qù diào xīng wèi

A few slices of ginger in the soup can get rid of the fishy smell.

Core concept

A sharp, unpleasant smell left by raw fish, blood, or meat.

Common phrases

  • 闻到腥味wén dào xīng wèi

    smell a fishy odor

  • 肉里有腥味ròu lǐ yǒu xīng wèi

    the meat smells fishy

  • 去掉腥味qù diào xīng wèi

    get rid of the fishy smell

Similar words

腥臭xīng chòu: Having the strong, unpleasant smell of uncooked fish or meat.
血腥xuè xīng: Having the sharp, metallic smell associated with blood.
刺鼻cì bí: Having an intensely sharp smell that makes the nose feel sore.

Definition in Chinese

指像鱼、血或生肉那样刺鼻且令人不快的气味，常用来形容食物或气味。zhǐ xiàng yú xuè huò shēng ròu nà yàng cì bí qiě lìng rén bú kuài de qì wèi cháng yòng lái xíng róng shí wù huò qì wèi

Word origin

腥 (xīng, "fishy") is formed from 月 (yuè, "flesh") + 星 (xīng, "star"), with the flesh component pointing to the food-related meaning and the other component supplying the sound.

Usage tips

  • English speakers may know "fishy" as "suspicious," but this Chinese adjective describes a real smell, especially from food or blood.

Other meanings

  • smelling of bloodadjective

Opposites

  • 芳香fāng xiāngfragrantadjective

Related words

  • 腥味xīng wèifishinessnoun
  • 腥臭xīng chòufoul-smellingadjective

Word lists with this word