喝水
he shui
The English phrase "drink water" is translated into Chinese as 喝水 (he shui).
喝水 is used to describe the act of consuming water by swallowing it. If you specifically want to refer to "plain water," you may use the term 清水. While you can use 喝水 as a command, doing so can sound blunt in Chinese. It is more natural to add a subject or a particle like 吧 to soften the tone.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of the verb 喝 (hē), meaning "to drink" and the noun 水 (shuǐ), meaning "water".
How does it change in a sentence?
To turn the phrase into a question, such as "Do you want to drink water?", you can add the particle 吗 to the end of the sentence: 喝水吗？ To indicate that the action of drinking water has been completed, the aspect particle 了 is often inserted after the verb to form 喝了水.
How do you pronounce it?
he shui
Did you know?
- While English speakers often drink cold water, many Chinese speakers prefer drinking 温水 (warm water) or even hot water to aid digestion and health.
- The character 喝 (hē) can be pronounced as hè when it means 'to shout' or 'to yell', changing the meaning from 'drinking water' to 'shouting' entirely.
- The word 水 (shuǐ) is used in slang to describe 'watery' or low-quality content, such as a 'watery' essay that has many words but no substance.
Examples in context
- 我吃水果、喝水。I eat fruit and drink water.This sentence shows how to use 喝水 alongside other activities.Tatoeba #1227034 by tsayng, translation #1138030 by cntrational
- 你在海裡還要喝水？Do you still want to drink water while in the sea?This sentence uses 喝水 in the context of being at sea.Tatoeba #13504545 by LeviHighway, translation #13591500 by LeviHighway
- 喝水。Drink water.This sentence provides a simple example of the command 喝水.Tatoeba #6092433 by xjjAstrus, translation #6746662 by swolesuki
- 请记得经常喝水，保持身体健康。Please remember to drink water regularly to maintain good health.
- 今天天气这么热，大家喝水吧！It's so hot today, everyone, let's drink water!
- 4 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
A gym setting where Wei is talking to Xiao Wen.
- 伟 Wei运动完要记得喝水。Yùndòng wán yào jìde hē shuǐ.Remember to drink water after exercising.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen好的，我会的。Hǎo de, wǒ huì de.Okay, I will.
- 伟 Wei你带水了吗？Nǐ dài shuǐ le ma?Did you bring water?
- 晓雯 Xiaowen我带了一瓶水。Wǒ dài le yī píng shuǐ.I brought a bottle of water.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
