Writing Balance Rule: The left side (the water radical 氵) should be compact and graceful, leaving plenty of generous space for the right component (勺).
1. Meaning
to pour wine or alcoholic drinks; to deliberate or consider
to feast or drink togetherto use discretion
VerbFormal / Literary#food and drink#mental action#decision making
Sample Usage
把酒言欢， 酌酒一杯。
bǎ jiǔ yán huān, zhuó jiǔ yì bēi.
Talking happily over wine, pouring a cup of wine together.
此事需从长计议， 再作斟酌。
cǐ shì xū cóng cháng jì yì, zài zuò zhēn zhuó.
This matter needs a long-term plan and further deliberation.
2. Sound
/[tʂuo³⁵]/Tone: 35
酌
zhuózhuo2
|
++
´(35)
=zhuó
Build the syllable
Step-by-step blending
zhuo
Tone mark placement: Tone mark sits on "o" per main-vowel priority (a > e > o; in -iu/-ui the mark takes the second vowel).
Initial Consonant
zh
Type: Unaspirated Retroflex
Sounds like: j/dr retroflex sound
UnaspiratedRetroflex
Airflow Tactile Test: No burst of air. Tongue curled up. Tissue stays still.
Tongue & Mouth Position: Tongue tip curled back near hard palate
Final Rhyme
uo
Vowel Group: -o vowel group
Sounds like: u-o sound like in 'war' or 'woah'
Mouth Shape Guide: Pronounce as standalone vowel 'waw'.
Common Learner Trap: Keep vowel quality steady across all 4 tone contours.
Tone
T2 (35)
3 → 5 (35)
2nd Tone (Mid-Rising)
Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 2 starts at a mid pitch and rises sharply to the top, like an upward questioning inflection in English.
Sandhi: When followed by another Tone 2 syllable, the pitch rises slightly less than a full 35.
👂
Listening trap: Confusing the retroflex initial zh- with the dental sibilant z- (zuó vs zhuó).
👋
Physical Tone Gesture: A rising hand gesture moving upward from chest level to eye level, matching the inquiring intonation of asking 'Really?' in English.
3. Writing
Topology: Left-right · Strokes: 10 strokes
Writing Balance Rule: The left side (the water radical 氵) should be compact and graceful, leaving plenty of generous space for the right component (勺).
4. Components
Radical氵 · Water Radical (water, liquids)
Semantic Clue (形旁):氵 (Indicates liquids, specifically pouring or serving wine)
Water (氵) combined with a ladle or spoon (勺) represents scooping and pouring liquid, which metaphorically extends to pouring wine and deliberating a plan.
氵 Water / Liquid
勺 Ladle / Spoon
Phonetic Family (形声字家族)
8· Phonetic Root: 勺 (sháo)
5. History
Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)
Origin: Originally combined the water/liquid radical with a ladle (勺), depicting the physical action of scooping out wine from a vessel with a ladle to pour into cups.
Semantic Evolution: From the physical act of ladling and pouring wine, the meaning broadened to drinking wine socially, and further abstracted into 'scooping over' ideas in one's mind—hence deliberating or considering.
Ancient banquets relied heavily on ladles to measure and serve aged grain wines from large urns.
6. Sinosphere
🇻🇳
Sino-Vietnamese
chước
High rising tone in Sino-Vietnamese corresponds to Mandarin Tone 2.
🇯🇵
Kanji (Japanese)
On: シャク (shaku)
🇰🇷
Hanja (Korean)
작
Sound Shift Bridge: The retroflex initial zh- often corresponds to historical dental stops or affricates in borrowed readings across East Asian languages.
7. Memory
Vivid Mnemonic Story
Imagine using a tiny wooden ladle (勺) to scoop sparkling liquid wine (氵) out of a barrel, and then pausing to carefully deliberate (酌) whether you should take another sip.
Phonetic Family (形声字家族)
勺
sháospoonPhonetic Core (声旁)
灼
zhuóto burn; to sear; to scorch; (bound form) bright; luminous+ 火 (fire)
豹
bàoleopard+ 豸 (feline beast)
妁
shuòsurname Shuo; (literary) matchmaker (on the bride's side)+ 女 (woman)