餾 (liù) - To distill & to fractionate

餾Tone 4

liù ｜ 18 strokes ｜ radical:

林伦

餾 · liù

To distill;

to fractionate;

to steam food to reheat it;

to reflux.

To distillto fractionateto steam food to reheat it

Usage highlights

DistillationFractional distillationSteam to reheatDistillation towerDistillateReflux

Synonyms

  • 蒸— to steam (culinary sense)
  • 提炼— to refine, extract

Antonyms

  • 混合— to mix, blend (opposite of separation)
  • 冷却— to cool (opposite of heating process)

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • The process of distillation (蒸馏) is used in chemistry.
  • We need to reheat the buns by steaming (馏馒头).
  • Fractional distillation (分馏) separates petroleum components.
  • The reflux apparatus (回流装置) is used in laboratories.

Collocations

  • Distillation(蒸馏)
  • Fractional distillation(分馏)
  • Steam to reheat(馏一下)
  • Distillation tower(馏塔)
  • Distillate(馏出物)
  • Reflux(回流)

Idioms

  • Distill the essence(馏取精华)
  • Fractionate petroleum(馏分石油)
  • Reflux condensation(回流冷凝)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • The character combines 'food' (食/饣) with 'stay/retain' (留), suggesting retaining the essence through heating processes.
  • Used in both scientific contexts (chemistry distillation) and culinary contexts (reheating food by steaming).
  • Represents traditional Chinese preservation and refinement techniques applied to modern industrial processes.

FAQ