湯 (tāng) - Soup & hot water

湯Tone 1

tāng ｜ 12 strokes ｜ radical:

檀婷

湯 · tāng

Soup;

hot water;

broth;

decoction;

also used in historical place names and surnames.

Souphot waterbroth

Usage highlights

Hot waterChicken soupMedicinal decoctionSoup spoonSoup potClear soup

Synonyms

  • 羹— thick soup or stew
  • 汁— juice or liquid extract

Antonyms

  • 冰— ice (opposite of hot water)
  • 干— dry (opposite of liquid/soup)

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • I like to drink chicken soup (鸡汤).
  • Hot water is good for health (热水).
  • This medicinal soup is bitter (药汤).
  • Tang dynasty poetry (唐诗) is unrelated to this character's meaning.

Collocations

  • Hot water(热水)
  • Chicken soup(鸡汤)
  • Medicinal decoction(药汤)
  • Soup spoon(汤匙)
  • Soup pot(汤锅)
  • Clear soup(清汤)

Idioms

  • Like a hot soup poured on snow(如汤沃雪)
  • Fixed abode with no fixed abode(固若金汤)
  • Replacing mortar with boiling water(以汤止沸)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • In traditional Chinese medicine, '汤' refers to herbal decoctions prepared by boiling medicinal ingredients.
  • The character appears in historical place names like Tangyin (汤阴) in Henan province.
  • 汤 is a common Chinese surname, ranking around 90th in prevalence.

FAQ