saap3歃
Jyutpingsaap3
Yalesaap
Definition
To smear one's mouth with blood when taking an oath of alliance, or to drink a small amount.
- archaicto smear one's mouth with blood of a sacrificial victim when taking an oath
- to drink; to sip
writtenother
How it's used
This character is almost exclusively encountered in the fixed idiom 歃血為盟, which refers to the ancient ritual of smearing blood on the lips to seal a pact. It is not used in modern Cantonese to describe the act of drinking liquids or smearing anything else. Using it outside of this specific historical context will sound extremely strange or overly literary to native speakers.
Examples
The ancients smeared blood to form an alliance, it seems very serious.
Are they trying to smear blood to become sworn brothers?
Related words
Common phrases
to smear blood as a sign of a pact
Common mistake
Learners often mistake this for a common verb for drinking, but it is strictly reserved for the ritualistic context of blood-smearing. Do not use it as a synonym for 飲.
Grammar color guide
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Grammar guides
- LocationHow to say where something is using 喺 (hai2), place words like 度, and the common coverbs that work like English prepositions.
- Serial verbsStringing two or more verbs together without any joining word, like go to the shop buy things. Extremely common in Cantonese.
- 將 disposalHow to move the object in front of the verb with 將, to focus on what happens to it. Common in instructions and writing.
