leak; flow; catch fire
Meanings
3 senses · 6 examplesverb
to leak (water); to seep
Commonly used for roofs, pipes, or containers that allow water to escape. Note that in actual speech, tone sandhi changes the first syllable to a rising tone (zóu).
The roof is leaking; quickly get a basin to catch the water.
These pipes are old and leaking everywhere.
verb
to flow (of water); to run
Describes water moving through channels, pipes, or irrigation systems.
Water flows smoothly through the channels, so the crops are growing well.
Water flows a bit slowly through this section of pipe.
verb
to catch fire; to break out in flames (euphemism)
dialectA traditional euphemism used in some dialects (particularly in northern China) to avoid saying the inauspicious word 'fire' (火) directly. Historically, water was used to extinguish fires, hence the ironic use of 'water' to refer to fire.
The warehouse is on fire, call the fire department quickly!
In ancient times, people were afraid to say 'fire', so they said 'zǒushuǐ' instead.