酿 (niàng): to ferment

Meanings

1 to ferment
2 to brew
3 to make honey (of bees)
4 to lead to
5 to form gradually
6 wine
7 stuffed (cooking method)

Characters

酿

niàng

to brew; to ferment

Examples

这种酒是用葡萄酿的。

Zhèzhǒng jiǔ shì yòng pútao niàng de.

This wine is brewed from grapes.

蜜蜂在酿蜜。

Mìfēng zài niàng mì.

The bees are making honey.

Tips

usage

酿 extends beyond literal brewing: 酿成 (niàngchéng) means 'to lead to / result in' - 酿成大祸 (lead to disaster). In Hakka/Cantonese cuisine, 酿 means 'stuffed': 酿豆腐 (stuffed tofu).

Components

radical

酉 yǒu

wine jar; fermentation

酉 pictures a narrow-necked wine jar - the indexing radical for anything fermented or brewed. It anchors 酿 in the alcohol family: 酒 alcohol, 醋 vinegar, 醉 drunk, 酱 sauce. Every brewing or pickling character carries this jar on its left side.

phonetic

良 liáng

good; fine

良 was historically the phonetic - Old Chinese reading roughly lyang shifted to niàng over the centuries, a fairly wide drift. It also adds a soft semantic flavour: good wine takes time to brew well. Same phonetic in 浪 wave, 朗 bright (preserving the liáng/lǎng layer).