涩 (sè) - astringent & puckery

涩Tone 4

sè ｜ 10 strokes ｜ radical:

三姗

涩 · sè

astringent;

puckery;

rough;

not smooth;

obscure;

hard to understand;

embarrassing;

awkward

astringentpuckeryrough

Usage highlights

astringent tasterough feelingobscure textawkward situationpuckery mouthgrating sound

Synonyms

  • 艰涩— obscure and difficult to understand
  • 生涩— unskilled; awkward; not fluent

Antonyms

  • 滑— smooth; slippery
  • 顺— smooth; fluent
  • 流畅— fluent; flowing

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • The unripe persimmon tastes very astringent (涩味).
  • The old machine makes a grating sound (声音涩).
  • He felt awkward in the social situation (涩于应对).
  • This passage is obscure and hard to understand (文字艰涩).

Collocations

  • astringent taste(涩味)
  • rough feeling(涩感)
  • obscure text(艰涩的文字)
  • awkward situation(涩境)
  • puckery mouth(口涩)
  • grating sound(涩声)

Idioms

  • Rough and obscure(艰涩难懂)
  • Awkward and embarrassed(涩涩不安)
  • Astringent and bitter(涩苦难咽)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • In traditional Chinese medicine, 'astringent' is one of the five basic tastes, often associated with herbs that have contracting and consolidating properties.
  • In calligraphy and literature, '涩' describes brushwork or writing style that appears restrained, hesitant, or deliberately rough for artistic effect.
  • The character embodies the aesthetic concept that imperfection and roughness can have artistic value.

FAQ