(yùn) - To brew & to ferment

Tone 4

yùn | 11 strokes | radical:

· yùn

To brew;

to ferment;

to prepare gradually;

to plan or develop something over time.

To brewto fermentto prepare gradually

Usage highlights

To brew wineTo fermentTo plan and prepareTo brew beerTo cause a disasterTo make honey

Synonyms

  • To brew; to make (wine, honey); to lead to (a result)
  • 发酵To ferment
  • 策划To plan; to plot

Antonyms

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • The wine is fermenting (酝酿).
  • They are planning a new project (酝酿新项目).
  • The storm clouds are gathering (酝酿着风暴).
  • A revolution was brewing (酝酿着一场革命).

Collocations

  • To brew wine(酿酒)
  • To ferment(发酵)
  • To plan and prepare(酝酿)
  • To brew beer(酿啤酒)
  • To cause a disaster(酿成灾祸)
  • To make honey(酿蜜)

Idioms

  • To deliberate and plan(酝酿筹划)
  • To brew a major event(酝酿大事)
  • To accumulate over time(酝酿已久)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • The character is strongly associated with the traditional process of brewing alcoholic beverages, a practice with deep roots in Chinese culinary and social culture.
  • Its metaphorical meaning of 'planning or developing something gradually' reflects the slow, transformative nature of fermentation.
  • It is often used in literary and formal contexts to describe the subtle, preparatory stages of significant events or ideas.

FAQ