沾 (zhān): to moisten

Meanings

1 to moisten
2 to be stained with
3 to touch
4 to benefit from (someone's connections)

Characters

沾

zhān

to moisten; to touch; to be stained

Examples

衣服上沾了泥。

Yīfu shàng zhān le ní.

The clothes got stained with mud.

他从不沾酒。

Tā cóngbù zhān jiǔ.

He never touches alcohol.

我们沾了他的光。

Wǒmen zhān le tā de guāng.

We benefited from his connections.

Tips

usage

沾光 (zhānguāng) means 'to benefit from someone else's good fortune or connections.' 沾边 (zhānbiān) means 'to be relevant to; to have something to do with.'

mistakes

Don't confuse 沾 (zhān, to moisten/stain) with 粘 (zhān/nián, to stick/adhere). 沾 is about liquid contact or getting something on a surface; 粘 is about sticking together.

Components

radical

氵 shuǐ

water (radical form)

The water radical anchors the meaning — 沾 is originally about water contact: getting wet, soaking up moisture, leaving a damp mark. From literal water-stains came metaphorical 'staining' (catching habits or disease) and 'touching' (only the lightest contact, like dipping a finger).

phonetic

占 zhān

to divine; to occupy (here phonetic)

Right component supplies the sound — exact match: zhān. 占 has two readings (zhān divine, zhàn occupy) but here only the zhān reading matters. Same phonetic in 站 (zhàn, stand), 战 (zhàn, war), 粘 (zhān/nián, sticky), 帖 (tiè, note).