餮 (tiè): gluttonous; greedy for food

Meanings

1 gluttonous; greedy for food

Characters

餮

tiè

gluttonous (in 饕餮)

Examples

他像饕餮一样把一桌菜吃了个精光。

Tā xiàng tāotiè yíyàng bǎ yì zhuō cài chī le gè jīngguāng.

He ate up the whole table like a glutton.

古书把贪食称为餮。

Gǔshū bǎ tān shí chēngwéi tiè.

An old text condemns greed for food as 'tie'.

Tips

culture

Used only inside 饕餮 (the legendary beast of bottomless greed, and the bronze-age mask motif). A classical commentary divides the pair neatly: greed for wealth is 饕, greed for food is 餮. Learn the two-character word as a unit.

Components

radical

食 shí

food; to eat

The food radical 食 at the bottom is literal: the whole character is about greed for eating, so it stands on 'food'.

phonetic

殄 tiǎn

to exterminate; to use up

The top element 殄 ('to wipe out, consume utterly') supplies the sound and a fitting flavor — devouring something completely, leaving nothing.

Stroke Order

餮 tiè

Related Words

饕餮 tāotiè

taotie — mythical gluttonous beast / zoomorphic mask motif on Shang and Zhou bronzes / a glutton (figurative) / lavish (of a feast)

食品 shípǐn HSK 3 #3,202

food / foodstuff / food product

熟食 shúshí #13,369

cooked food / prepared food / deli food

调 tiáo HSK 3 #1,523

to adjust; to regulate / to harmonize; to reconcile / to mix; to blend / to season (food) / to tease; to provoke

馋 chán HSK 7-9 #30,375

greedy (for food) / gluttonous / to have a craving

贪婪 tānlán HSK 7-9 #5,285

greedy / avaricious / insatiable

打包 dǎbāo HSK 5 #4,883

to pack; to package / to get a doggy bag (take leftover food from a restaurant) / to bundle up

丁 dīng HSK 7-9 #3,663

a small cube or piece (of food) / fourth of the Heavenly Stems / male adult

享用 xiǎngyòng #5,350

to enjoy (food, benefits) / to partake of

主食 zhǔshí HSK 7-9 #43,518

staple food / main food (rice, noodles, bread, etc.)