酿 niàng to ferment
to ferment; to brew
How to remember 酿: 酉 whisky bottle + 良 good = to ferment. Grandma puts plums and sugar into an old whisky bottle and says "Good things need a whole summer to ferment."
Component breakdown
酿 = 酉 whisky bottle + 良 good
- 酉 whisky bottle
- 良 good
Grandma puts plums and sugar into an old whisky bottle and says "Good things need a whole summer to ferment."
How it is used
- Literally to brew/ferment alcohol: 酿酒 (niàng jiǔ) to make wine, 酿造 (niàngzào) to brew.
- Figuratively 'to breed / lead to' a bad outcome: 酿成大祸 (niàngchéng dà huò) to bring about disaster - the slow-building sense of fermentation applied to trouble.
- Also a cooking verb, 酿豆腐 (niàng dòufu) stuffed tofu, i.e. filling a food with a mixture.