酝 yùn liquor
liquor; spirits; wine; to ferment
How to remember 酝: 酉 whisky bottle + 云 cloud = liquor. The farmer's homemade drink in the whisky bottle is as white as a cloud, and his guests ask whether it is liquor.
Component breakdown
酝 = 酉 whisky bottle + 云 cloud
- 酉 whisky bottle
- 云 cloud
The farmer's homemade drink in the whisky bottle is as white as a cloud, and his guests ask whether it is liquor.
How it is used
- Lives in 酝酿 (yùnniàng), literally 'to ferment,' but overwhelmingly used figuratively for something brewing quietly: 一场风暴正在酝酿 (yì chǎng fēngbào zhèngzài yùnniàng) a storm is brewing.
- Common of plans, moods, crises taking shape before they surface - 酝酿情绪 (yùnniàng qíngxù) to work oneself into the mood.
- Bound character; you meet it almost only in 酝酿.