【析形】会意字。甲骨文字形像人向酉(酒坛)伸舌头饮酒的样子。金文字形舌头部分脱离人形,并变形声化为“今”,作声符,人形亦变成“欠”(表呼吸),作意符。小篆字形从之。隶书字形改作从食,从欠,为后世所本。 【释义】《说文》:“歠也。”本义是饮、喝。又指所饮的饮料,或指酒,或指水。由喝引申为含忍、吞,如[饮恨](抱恨含冤)、[饮泣](泪流满面,进入口中,形容极度悲痛)。 【shape analysis】It is the associative character.In Oracle,the character is shaped like a drinking person stretching his tongue into酉(yǒu,wine vessel).The tongue part is detached from the human shape and transformed into a pictophonetic sign as今(jīn) in Bronze Inscriptions.The human shape is transformed into欠(qiàn,refers to breath) as an ideogram.This shape is followed in Small Seal script while it is transformed into an associative character in official character formed with 食(shí,food)and 欠. 【original meaning】Drinking.