津津有味

jīn jīn yoǔ wèi · HSK 7

with keen interest pleasure

😋 津 = saliva, 有 = have, 味 = taste: mouth-watering tasty, so you eat with gusto

津 means saliva or moisture, doubled for emphasis; 有味 means having flavor. The four characters literally read saliva-saliva-have-taste, the watering mouth of someone relishing every bite — extended to relishing any activity eagerly.

有 — hand 𠂇 + moon/meat 月
Originally depicted a hand holding a piece of meat (月 here is the 'meat' radical, not moon), expressing the idea of possessing something. Over time the meaning broadened from 'to hold/possess' to the general sense of 'to have' or 'there is/exists'.

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