渗 (shèn): to seep; to ooze

Meanings

1 to seep; to ooze
2 to permeate; to penetrate

Characters

渗

shèn

seep; ooze; permeate

Examples

水从墙壁里渗出来了。

Shuǐ cóng qiángbì lǐ shènchū lái le.

Water is seeping out from the wall.

雨水渗进了地下。

Yǔshuǐ shèn jìn le dìxià.

Rainwater seeped into the ground.

伤口还在渗血。

Shāngkǒu hái zài shèn xuè.

The wound is still oozing blood.

Tips

usage

渗 describes slow, gradual movement of liquids through a surface. Common complements: 渗出 (seep out), 渗进 (seep in), 渗入 (permeate into). The compound 渗透 extends the meaning to figurative penetration/infiltration.

Components

radical

氵 shuǐ

water (radical form of 水)

Three-drops water radical on the left — the side form of 水 compressed into three slanted strokes. Carries the meaning: seeping and oozing are slow water-actions, so the radical puts 渗 in the liquid-movement family alongside 流 flow, 滴 drip, 浸 soak, 漏 leak.

phonetic

参 shēn

ginseng; to take part (here phonetic)

Right side 参 supplies the sound — shēn drifting to shèn through a tone shift in the same series. 参 originally pictured a constellation of three stars over a person; the link to 渗 is purely phonetic. Same phonetic appears in 掺 to mix in and 惨 miserable, neither sharing water meaning.