Meaning
潮 originally refers to the rising and falling of ocean tides. It has extended meanings including dampness or humidity, and in modern slang, it describes something fashionable or trendy. The word captures the idea of waves or movements, whether literal water currents or figurative cultural trends.
Usage
In everyday speech, 潮 commonly appears in weather contexts (潮湿 'humid') and increasingly in youth slang meaning 'cool' or 'trendy' (很潮 'very trendy'). Coastal regions use it frequently for tide-related terms. The slang usage is informal and popular among younger speakers.
Examples
- 01这个地方太潮了，墙上都发霉了。, .This place is too damp; mold is growing on the walls.
- 02他穿的衣服很潮，特别时尚。, .The clothes he wears are very trendy and especially fashionable.
Measure words
- 股一股潮流
- 阵一阵热潮
Common collocations
- 涨潮rising tide, high tide
- 退潮ebb tide, low tide
- 心潮澎湃one's heart surging with emotion
- 赶潮流to follow trends
Antonyms
Origin
The character 潮 combines the water radical 氵(水) with 朝 (cháo, morning), originally referring to morning tides. Ancient Chinese observed that tides followed predictable patterns related to time of day.