濯

zhuó

verb

Meanings

1 to wash; to rinse
2 to cleanse

Characters

濯

zhuó

to wash; to cleanse

Examples

沧浪之水清兮，可以濯吾缨。

Cānglàng zhī shuǐ qīng xī, kěyǐ zhuó wú yīng.

When the Canglang waters are clear, I can wash my hat-strings in them.

莲花出淤泥而不染，濯清涟而不妖。

Liánhuā chū yūní ér bù rǎn, zhuó qīnglián ér bù yāo.

The lotus rises from the mud yet is washed clean and unstained.

Tips

history

濯 is a literary verb meaning to wash or cleanse, both literally and morally. It is famous from 周敦颐's essay on the lotus, washed clean yet not seductive.

Components

radical

氵 sāndiǎnshuǐ

water (radical form)

Left-side three-drop water radical, the side form of 水. Washing needs water, so it carries the core meaning of 濯.

phonetic

翟 dí

long-tailed pheasant (here phonetic)

Right side 翟 is the phonetic element; the sound has drifted from dí to zhuó, so read it as a historical sound hint rather than an exact match.

Stroke Order

濯 zhuó

濯