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饵 — pronunciations, definitions, and tags
HanziPinyinEnglishTags
饵ěrbait; cake; dumplings; to bait, to enticen, 9 strokes, radical 饣, rank #13220, Hard
饵ěrpastryunknown, 9 strokes, radical 饣, rank #13220, Hard
饵ěrfoodunknown, 9 strokes, radical 饣, rank #13220, Hard
饵ěrto swallowunknown, 9 strokes, radical 饣, rank #13220, Hard
饵ěrto lureunknown, 9 strokes, radical 饣, rank #13220, Hard
饵ěrlureunknown, 9 strokes, radical 饣, rank #13220, Hard
ěr(er3) T3
  1. 1bait; cake; dumplings; to bait, to entice
  2. 2pastry
Listen to the audio pronunciation 3 times to gain XP
March 24, 2026
饵(餌)ěr(er3)

饵 (ěr) primarily means 'bait' in the context of fishing, referring to food used to attract fish. Additionally, it can denote 'cake' or 'dumplings' in certain culinary contexts, illustrating its versatility in Chinese food terminology. The term is often used in both literal and figurative senses, such as luring someone into a situation.

Strokes9Radical饣Frequency#13220DifficultyHard
Cultural Note

In Chinese culture, fishing is both a popular pastime and a traditional occupation, making the word 饵 relevant in conversations about leisure activities and food preparation. Additionally, dumplings are a significant part of Chinese cuisine, often made for celebrations.

Memory Tip

Imagine a fisherman holding a cake (饵) made to look like a fish to attract real fish. The character 饵 contains the radical 食 (food) at the bottom, reminding you that it's related to something edible, and the '儿' (ér) at the top can sound like 'ear,' suggesting you should listen carefully to catch fish!

Meanings of 饵

ěr(er3)
1bait; cake; dumplings; to bait, to entice
2pastry
Exercise 1 of 2

Listen & Choose the Meaning

Choose the correct answer:

About 饵

饵Simplified
餌Traditional
9Strokes
饣Radical
名词míngcínoun (n.)Part of Speech
#—Frequency Rank

Podcast: 饵

JasonAmy

Podcast: 饵

Listen to Jason & Amy break down this word for you

AI Study Notes for 饵

Quick Contrast

饵 (ěr, bait) vs 食物 (shíwù, food) — use 饵 when specifically referring to bait used for attracting fish, while 食物 is a general term for food.

Memory Mnemonic

Imagine a fisherman holding a cake (饵) made to look like a fish to attract real fish. The character 饵 contains the radical 食 (food) at the bottom, reminding you that it's related to something edible, and the '儿' (ér) at the top can sound like 'ear,' suggesting you should listen carefully to catch fish!

Usage Notes

Be cautious not to confuse 饵 (bait) with other similar sounding words. This term is more informal and often used in culinary contexts when discussing food items like dumplings. Common collocations include '鱼饵' (yú ěr - fish bait) and '诱饵' (yòu ěr - lure).

HSK Study Tips

Although 饵 is not part of the HSK vocabulary, it can be connected to HSK Level 3 words related to food and fishing, such as 食物 (shí wù - food) and 鱼 (yú - fish). Students should focus on the usage of 饵 in sentences to understand its context in food-related discussions.

Cultural Note

In Chinese culture, fishing is both a popular pastime and a traditional occupation, making the word 饵 relevant in conversations about leisure activities and food preparation. Additionally, dumplings are a significant part of Chinese cuisine, often made for celebrations.

Common Mistakes

Learners often mistakenly use 饵 when they mean food in general, while it's specifically related to bait or certain types of food like dumplings. For example, saying '我想吃饵' (I want to eat bait) should be corrected to '我想吃饺子' (I want to eat dumplings) if referring to dumplings.

AI-enhanced 2026-03-24

Pronunciation of 饵

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Etymology of 饵

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

Phonosemantic compound. 饣 represents the meaning and 耳 represents the sound. Simplified form of 餌.

Memory Hint

food

Semantic (meaning)饣
+
Phonetic (sound)耳
Learn more about Phono-semantic (形声字) characters
Exercise 1 of 1

Character Formation Type

What type of character formation is 饵?

Decomposition of 饵

IDS Structure⿰饣耳
饵Full Character
=
饣shi2
left
耳er3
right
Exercise 1 of 2

Identify the Components

Which of these is a component of 饵?

Write 饵

饵

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

Write correctly 3 times to earn XP

Grammar Patterns of 饵

饵 functions as a noun — it names a person, place, thing, or concept. Place it as a subject before the verb (主+谓) or as an object after the verb (谓+宾). Most Chinese nouns require a measure word between the number and the noun (e.g. 一个/三本). It carries 6 related meanings, each with its own usage notes below. The example sentences below show it in action, with practice buttons (Listen, Practice Writing, Practice Speaking) on every line.

Exercise 1 of 5

Complete the Sentence

他们正好踩上了____雷，结果被炸得粉身碎骨。

They walked right into a booby-trap and got blown to smithereens.

Example Sentences for 饵 (10)

Listen to all sentences once to receive XP
1
他们正好踩上了饵雷，结果被炸得粉身碎骨。

tā mén zhèng hǎo cǎi shàng le ěr léi， ， jié guǒ bèi zhà dé fěn shēn suì。

They walked right into a booby-trap and got blown to smithereens.
2
从根本上说，电视节目就是吸引观众看广告的诱饵。

cóng gēn běn shàng shuō， ， diàn shì jié mù jiù shì xī yǐn guān zhòng kàn guǎng gào de yòu。

Television programmes are essentially bait to attract an audience for advertisements.
3
他在鱼钩上装了点馅饼作钓饵。

tā zài yú gōu shàng zhuāng le diǎn xiàn bǐng zuò diào ěr。

He baited his hook with pie.
4
鱼咬了钓饵。

yú yǎo le diào ěr。

The fish took the bait.
5
我感到(有鱼)轻咬一下饵.

wǒ gǎn dào( ( yǒu) yú ) qīng yǎo yī.

I felt a nibble at the bait.
6
他们在小路上挖深沟设饵雷。

tā mén zài xiǎo lù shàng wā shēn gōu shè ěr léi。

They dug trenches in their path and set booby traps.
7
鱼咬饵时, 就被钓在钩上.

yú yǎo ěr shí, , jiù bèi diào zài gōu.

As the fish snaps at the bait, it gets caught on the hook.
8
河里的鱼很多, 我钓线上的鱼饵也蛮好, 可这些鱼越来越狡猾,今天就是不上钩.

hé lǐ de yú hěn duō, , wǒ diào xiàn shàng de yú ěr yě mán, hǎo , kě zhè xiē yú yuè lái yuè, jiǎo huá , jīn tiān jiù shì.

There are plenty of fish in the river, and good baits on my line, but the fish are getting clever and refuse to rise to the
9
一条鱼在轻轻地啃鱼饵.

yī tiáo yú zài qīng qīng dì kěn yú ěr.

A fish nibbles at the bait.
10
“ 我还是把挑出在船梢的细钓丝重新装上钓饵的好, " 他说.

“ “ wǒ huán shì bǎ tiāo chū zài chuán shāo de xì diào sī zhòng xīn zhuāng shàng diào ěr de," hǎo , ".

" I had better re - bait that little line out over the stern, " he said.

Cultural Notes for 饵

🏮Cultural insight

In Chinese culture, fishing is both a popular pastime and a traditional occupation, making the word 饵 relevant in conversations about leisure activities and food preparation. Additionally, dumplings are a significant part of Chinese cuisine, often made for celebrations.

Word Family of 饵

Words Containing This Character4
诱饵yòu’ěrbait誘餌
饵ěrpastry餌
鱼饵fish bait魚餌
饵子fish bait餌子
Exercise 1 of 4

Compound Meaning

What does 诱饵 mean?

Frequently Asked Questions about 饵

It is pronounced as 'ěr', with the third tone in Mandarin.