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浼 — pronunciations, definitions, and tags
HanziPinyinEnglishTags
浼měito request, to ask a favor; to pollute, to contaminatezg, 10 strokes, radical 氵
浼měito ask a favor ofunknown, 10 strokes, radical 氵
měi(mei3) T3
  1. 1to request, to ask a favor; to pollute, to contaminate
  2. 2to ask a favor of
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March 24, 2026

浼měi(mei3)

The character 浼 (měi) primarily means to request or ask for a favor, often in a context where one seeks assistance from someone else. It also carries the connotation of polluting or contaminating, especially in discussions about environmental issues, where it indicates the act of tainting water or other resources. Understanding the dual meanings helps in grasping its use in both social and environmental contexts.

Strokes10Radical氵
Cultural Note

In Chinese culture, asking for favors is often tied to the concept of 'guanxi' (关系), or relationships, where favors can strengthen social bonds. Understanding this character may help learners navigate social interactions more effectively.

Memory Tip

Imagine a river (the radical '水' for water) that is being polluted (the meaning of 'contaminate') while someone is asking (the phonetic 'měi' sounds like 'may I?') for a favor to help clean it up. Picture someone standing by the river, saying 'May I request your help to make this water clean again?' This vivid imagery links the character's components to its meanings.

Meanings of 浼

měi(mei3)
1to request, to ask a favor; to pollute, to contaminate
2to ask a favor of
Exercise 1 of 2

Listen & Choose the Meaning

Choose the correct answer:

About 浼

浼Simplified
10Strokes
氵Radical
状态词stative word (stat.)Part of Speech
#—Frequency Rank

Podcast: 浼

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Podcast: 浼

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AI Study Notes for 浼

Usage Notes

When using 浼, it's important to be aware that it is more formal and may not be commonly used in everyday conversation. Common collocations include 浼求 (to request) and 浼贿 (to bribe), which may carry negative connotations. Be cautious with the tones; many learners confuse it with similar-sounding words.

HSK Study Tips

Although 浼 is not included in the HSK vocabulary lists, it can be connected to HSK Level 4 words about requests and favors, such as 要求 (yāoqiú, to demand/request). Students should focus on the usage of formal request structures as they expand their vocabulary.

Common Mistakes

Learners often confuse 浼 with similar-sounding characters like 媚 (mèi, to ingratiate). For example, saying '我浼你' (Wǒ měi nǐ) instead of '我请求你' (Wǒ qǐngqiú nǐ) for 'I request you' can lead to misunderstandings. Always use the correct character based on the context.

AI-enhanced 2026-03-24

Pronunciation of 浼

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Etymology of 浼

Formation Typepictophonetic
六书 ClassificationPhono-semantic (形声字)~80-90% of characters
Memory Hint

water

Semantic (meaning)氵
+
Phonetic (sound)免
Learn more about Phono-semantic (形声字) characters

Jason Etymology Detective

Case file: 浼

  1. 1The meaning half氵 carries the sense.
  2. 2The sound half免 is there for the reading, not the meaning.
  3. 3The giveawaywater
  4. 4On the record aspictophonetic.

Every clue here comes from the character's recorded structure — nothing is guessed.

Want the full history of 浼? Jason searches the paleographic record, weighs the competing accounts and judges the popular story.

Charged once for this character — everyone reads it afterwards.
Exercise 1 of 1

Character Formation Type

What type of character formation is 浼?

Decomposition of 浼

IDS Structure⿰氵免
浼Full Character
=
氵shui3
left
免mian3
right
Exercise 1 of 2

Identify the Components

Which of these is a component of 浼?

How to say to request, to ask a favor; to pollute, to contaminate in Chinese

“to request, to ask a favor; to pollute, to contaminate” in Chinese is浼měi

The character 浼 (měi) primarily means to request or ask for a favor, often in a context where one seeks assistance from someone else. It also carries the connotation of polluting or contaminating, especially in discussions about environmental issues, where it indicates the act of tainting water or other resources. Understanding the dual meanings helps in grasping its use in both social and environmental contexts.

When to use 浼

When using 浼, it's important to be aware that it is more formal and may not be commonly used in everyday conversation. Common collocations include 浼求 (to request) and 浼贿 (to bribe), which may carry negative connotations. Be cautious with the tones; many learners confuse it with similar-sounding words.

What learners get wrong

Learners often confuse 浼 with similar-sounding characters like 媚 (mèi, to ingratiate). For example, saying '我浼你' (Wǒ měi nǐ) instead of '我请求你' (Wǒ qǐngqiú nǐ) for 'I request you' can lead to misunderstandings. Always use the correct character based on the context.

Write 浼

浼

Practice writing 浼 stroke by stroke. Watch the animation to learn the stroke order, then try writing it yourself.

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Word Family of 浼

Words Containing This Character1
浼měito ask a favor of
Exercise 1 of 1

Compound Meaning

What does 浼 mean?

Frequently Asked Questions about 浼

You can say '我想要浼你帮我' (Wǒ xiǎng yào měi nǐ bāng wǒ), meaning 'I would like to ask you for help.'

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