(shǔn) - To suck & to lick

Tone 3

shǔn | 7 strokes | radical: 口

· shǔn

To suck;

to lick;

to sip;

to draw in with the mouth.

To suckto lickto sip

Usage highlights

Suck milkSuck bloodSuck poisonSuck fingersSuck and lickSucking motion

Synonyms

  • to inhale; to suck
  • to lick
  • to suck; to sip

Antonyms

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • The baby is sucking milk (吮奶).
  • He licked his ice cream (吮冰淇淋).
  • The wound needs to be sucked to remove venom (吮毒).

Collocations

  • Suck milk(吮奶)
  • Suck blood(吸血吮血)
  • Suck poison(吮毒)
  • Suck fingers(吮指)
  • Suck and lick(吮舔)
  • Sucking motion(吮吸动作)

Idioms

  • Sucking sores and licking hemorrhoids(吮痈舐痔)
  • Suck blood and pick bones(吸血吮髓)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • The character appears in classical Chinese medical texts describing treatment methods.
  • Used in idioms to describe extreme flattery or sycophantic behavior (吮痈舐痔).
  • Associated with infant feeding and basic survival instincts in traditional contexts.

FAQ