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

HSK 3

我们沾了他的光。

Wǒmen zhān le tā de guāng.

We benefited from his connections.

HSK 6

衣服上沾了泥。

Yīfu shàng zhān le ní.

The clothes got stained with mud.

HSK 6

他从不沾酒。

Tā cóngbù zhān jiǔ.

He never touches alcohol.

Tips

usage

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

mistakes

Don't confuse 沾 (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).