niè
verb #20,916

Meanings

  1. 1 to gnaw
  2. 2 to bite
  3. 3 to erode

Examples

Lǎoshǔ niè huài le diànxiàn, yǐnfā le huǒzāi.
Rats gnawed through the electrical wires, causing a fire.
Hǎilàng rìyè niè shí zhe hǎi'àn de yánshí.
The waves gnaw at the coastal rocks day and night.

Tips

register
is a classical/literary character rarely used in everyday modern Chinese. It appears in compound words like 齿动物 (niè chǐ dòngwù = rodent, literally 'gnaw-tooth animal') and (to erode/encroach). In daily speech, (yǎo) is used instead for 'to bite'.

Stroke Order

niè