甜 from HSK Level 3 Vocabulary List

The Chinese character 甜 (tián) for "sweet" is composed of two parts: the radical 甘 (gān) and the phonetic component 田 (tián). The radical 甘 originally meant "sweet" or "delicious", and it is also used in other characters related to taste, such as 苦 (kǔ) for "bitter" and 辛 (xīn) for "spicy". The phonetic component 田 originally meant "field" or "farmland", and it is also used in other characters related to agriculture, such as 农 (nóng) for "farmer" and 种 (zhòng) for "to plant".The combination of the radical 甘 and the phonetic component 田 in the character 甜 suggests that the original meaning of 甜 was "the sweetness of the field". This is consistent with the fact that many sweet foods, such as fruits and honey, are produced in fields. Over time, the meaning of 甜 has expanded to include all types of sweetness, regardless of their source.The character 甜 is also used in a number of idioms and proverbs. For example, the idiom 甜言蜜语 (tián yán mì yǔ) means "sweet words and honeyed phrases", and it is used to describe someone who is flattering or insincere. The proverb 苦尽甘来 (kǔ jìn gān lái) means "after bitterness comes sweetness", and it is used to encourage people to persevere through difficult times.The character 甜 is a common and important character in Chinese, and it has a rich history and meaning. By understanding the etymology of 甜, we can gain a deeper appreciation for the Chinese language and culture.