沤 (òu) - to soak & to steep

沤Tone 4

òu ｜ 7 strokes ｜ radical: 氵

柠七

沤 · òu

to soak;

to steep;

to ret (flax, hemp);

bubble;

foam

to soakto steepto ret (flax, hemp)

Usage highlights

Soak flaxSoak hempCompost fertilizerFoam/bubbleSoak until rottenSoak in water

Synonyms

Antonyms

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • Soak flax in water (沤麻).
  • The pond water is foaming (沤泡).
  • Compost made by soaking (沤肥).
  • Long soaking causes fermentation (沤烂).

Collocations

  • Soak flax(沤麻)
  • Soak hemp(沤苎麻)
  • Compost fertilizer(沤肥)
  • Foam/bubble(沤泡)
  • Soak until rotten(沤烂)
  • Soak in water(水沤)

Idioms

  • Float like a bubble, vanish like a dewdrop(浮沤槿艳)
  • Bubbles on the water(水中之沤)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • Historically associated with traditional textile processing methods like retting flax and hemp.
  • In agricultural context, refers to composting organic materials through water soaking.
  • Metaphorically used in Buddhist texts to represent the transient nature of existence, like bubbles.

FAQ