How common it is
吸收 appears often in everyday Chinese, so it is worth practicing early and reviewing often.
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Pronunciation focus
Say xī shōu slowly first, then repeat it in a short phrase. Listen for the tone shape.
Usage note
“吸收”意思是把东西吸进来，比如海绵吸水，或者学习知识。
“xī shōu” yì si shì bǎ dōng xi xī jìn lái, bǐ rú hǎi mián xī shuǐ, huò zhě xué xí zhī shi.
"Absorb" means to take something in, like a sponge absorbing water, or learning knowledge.
Context note
植物通过根吸收水分和营养，才能长大。
Zhí wù tōng guò gēn xī shōu shuǐ fèn hé yíng yǎng, cái néng zhǎng dà.
Plants absorb water and nutrients through their roots to grow.
5 examples
海绵能吸收很多水。
hǎi mián néng xī shōu hěn duō shuǐ。
A sponge can absorb a lot of water.
我们要吸收新知识。
wǒ men yào xī shōu xīn zhī shi。
We need to absorb new knowledge.
毛巾吸收汗水。
máo jīn xī shōu hàn shuǐ。
The towel absorbs sweat.
土壤吸收雨水。
tǔ rǎng xī shōu yǔ shuǐ。
The soil absorbs rainwater.
读书时，要吸收有用的内容。
dú shū shí， yào xī shōu yǒu yòng de nèi róng。
When reading, absorb useful content.
5 mini stories
小树吸收阳光，长得更高了。叶子变绿了。
xiǎo shù xī shōu yáng guāng， cháng dé gèng gāo le。 yè zi biàn lǜ le。
The little tree absorbs sunlight and grows taller. The leaves turn green.
小兔用毛巾吸收水。毛巾湿了。
xiǎo tù yòng máo jīn xī shōu shuǐ。 máo jīn shī le。
The bunny uses a towel to absorb water. The towel is wet.
小明认真听课，吸收了很多知识。他考试得了高分。
xiǎo míng rèn zhēn tīng kè， xī shōu le hěn duō zhī shi。 tā kǎo shì dé le gāo fēn。
Xiao Ming listens carefully and absorbs a lot of knowledge. He got a high score on the test.
海绵宝宝吸收水后变重了。它很开心。
hǎi mián bǎo bao xī shōu shuǐ hòu biàn zhòng le。 tā hěn kāi xīn。
SpongeBob absorbs water and becomes heavier. He is very happy.
植物吸收肥料，开出美丽的花。花园很漂亮。
zhí wù xī shōu féi liào， kāi chū měi lì de huā。 huā yuán hěn piào liang。
The plant absorbs fertilizer and blooms beautiful flowers. The garden is lovely.