滓 (zǐ) - Sediment, dregs, lees & residue or precipitate left after a process such

滓Tone 3

zǐ ｜ 13 strokes ｜ radical:

志

滓 · zǐ

Sediment, dregs, lees;

residue or precipitate left after a process such as filtration;

metaphorically refers to something worthless or impure.

Sediment, dregs, leesresidue or precipitate left after a process suchmetaphorically refers to something worthless or impure.

Usage highlights

Dregs of societyWine leesCoffee groundsFilter residueSedimentImpurities

Synonyms

  • 渣— dregs, residue
  • 沉淀— sediment, precipitate
  • 残渣— residual dregs

Antonyms

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • Coffee grounds are a type of residue (咖啡滓).
  • The filter removes solid impurities (滤除杂质).
  • The dregs of society (社会渣滓).
  • Wine lees settle at the bottom (酒滓沉底).

Collocations

  • Dregs of society(渣滓)
  • Wine lees(酒滓)
  • Coffee grounds(咖啡滓)
  • Filter residue(滤滓)
  • Sediment(沉淀滓)
  • Impurities(杂质)

Idioms

  • Dregs of society(社会渣滓)
  • Dregs and scum(渣滓浊沫)
  • Remove the dross and select the pure(去滓取精)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • Historically used in alchemy and traditional medicine to describe unwanted residues from decoctions.
  • In modern Chinese, 渣滓 is a strong pejorative term for despised or worthless people.
  • The character reflects a cultural emphasis on purity and filtering out impurities.

FAQ