酌 zhuó to pour wine
to pour wine; to drink wine; to deliberate; to consider
How to remember 酌: 酉 whisky bottle + 勺 ladle = to pour wine. At the wedding, grandpa fills an old whisky bottle with rice wine and grabs a soup ladle to pour wine.
Component breakdown
酌 = 酉 whisky bottle + 勺 ladle
- 酉 whisky bottle
- 勺 ladle
- 勹 wrap
- 丶 a drop
At the wedding, grandpa fills an old whisky bottle with rice wine and grabs a soup ladle to pour wine.
How it is used
- Original sense is to pour/drink wine (小酌 xiǎozhuó a small drink), but the everyday sense is 'to weigh/consider carefully'.
- 斟酌 (zhēnzhuó) to deliberate over (wording, a decision); 酌情 (zhuóqíng) to act according to the actual circumstances, at one's discretion - common in formal/official language: 酌情处理 (zhuóqíng chǔlǐ) to handle as appropriate.