碜 (chěn): gritty (food with sand or grit…

Meanings

1 gritty (food with sand or grit in it)
2 ugly; embarrassing; hard to look at

Characters

碜

chěn

gritty; ugly

Examples

这菜没洗干净，吃着牙碜。

Zhè cài méi xǐ gānjìng, chī zhe yá chěn.

This vegetable wasn't washed clean, it's gritty when you chew it.

穿那身衣服出去真够寒碜。

Chuān nàshēn yīfu chūqù zhēn gòu hánchen.

Wearing that outfit out really looks awful.

Tips

usage

Two everyday senses: physically gritty, as in 牙碜 (grit between the teeth), and figuratively shabby or embarrassing, as in 寒碜 (ugly; humiliating), where it is read toneless.

Components

radical

石 shí

stone

The stone radical, the meaning carrier. The core sense is grit or tiny stones in food, so the stone radical is a direct fit.

phonetic

参 cān

to take part; ginseng

Provides the sound, read 参 in this form and shifted to chěn here. It serves only as the phonetic cue.

Stroke Order

碜 chěn

Related Words

寒碜 hánchen #36,998

ugly; shabby; unsightly / shameful; embarrassing / to ridicule; to mock (someone) for being shabby

牙碜 yáchen

gritty (of food) / (figurative) jarring; unpleasant to hear

食品 shípǐn HSK 3 #3,202

food / foodstuff / food product

沙子 shāzi HSK 3 #6,231

sand; grit

丑陋 chǒulòu HSK 7-9 #4,871

ugly; unattractive; hideous

尝 cháng HSK 5 #3,035

to taste; to try (food) / once; ever (literary)

尝尝 chángcháng #2,819

to have a taste / to try (food)

丑 chǒu HSK 5 #2,675

ugly / shameful / hideous

坚果 jiānguǒ #8,239

nut (food); hard-shelled fruit

餐 cān HSK 6 #3,313

meal; food / to eat; to dine / measure word for meals