<blockquote>
  <p>For example 柠檬泡水 = lemon water</p>
</blockquote>

<p>This is not very right, in Chinese when it comes to water like lemon water we don't use <code>泡水</code> we simply use <code>柠檬水</code>. So</p>

<p>lemon water = 柠檬水</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-07-13T03:03:15.393Z
2015-07-13T03:03:15.393Z
Alan
<p>you can think about this word as cook, for example, cook water, when you said cook tea, it is 泡茶.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-07-13T20:24:12.507Z
2015-07-13T20:24:12.507Z
supermancctv
<p>You are right in saying that, in general, 泡 means a bubble/bubbles. </p>

<p>When it comes to drinks, 泡水 is actually a verbal phrase, usually preceded by a noun. It refers to water being mixed with other ingredients to create some sort of makeshift drink. For example 柠檬泡水 = lemon water, which is essentially lemon slices submerged in water. </p>

<p>Another usage of this verbal phrase simply refers to dipping oneself in water. 我去游泳池里泡一下水. (I am going to hop in the swimming pool for a while).</p>

<p>一杯泡水 sounds very strange to me. It could be regional slang for 气水 (soft drink/soda) or it could be the result of making a makdeshift drink. You will need to show me the ad so I can understand the context. </p>

<p>As a noun, 泡水 is an alternative phrase for 羊水, or the amniotic fluid that protects a foetus in the mother's womb. It's of course commonly referred to as simply <em>water</em>.</p>

<p>As a classifier, it's not just used for urine, but quite often for excrement as well. The following are very idiomatic:</p>

<ul>
<li>撒一泡尿 (to urinate) </li>
<li>拉一泡屎 (to defecate)</li>
</ul>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-07-13T04:04:28.793Z
in addition, there are words like 泡妞，泡吧
Shiji.J
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-02-08T19:55:19.657Z
2013-02-08T19:55:19.657Z
deutschZuid
<p>I first encountered this word in the brand of a kid's drink, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWwHN3gbhh4" rel="nofollow">O泡</a>.  When I <a href="http://www.mdbg.net/chindict/chindict.php?page=worddict&amp;wdrst=0&amp;wdqb=%E6%B3%A1" rel="nofollow">looked it up</a> I saw that it meant something like "bubble", and was (ironically for the name of a drink) the classifier for urine.</p>

<p>Then I saw on TV someone offer 一杯泡水 to a guest (It might have been 一泡杯水 but I read the subtitles and 泡 was definitely there).</p>

<p>So what is 泡水? Bubble water? <a href="https://www.google.com.au/search?q=%E6%B3%A1%E6%B0%B4&amp;tbm=isch" rel="nofollow">Google images</a> suggests it's water with slices of lemon/lime.</p>

<p>And while we're on this character, how does one use it as a classifier for urine, perhaps someone could use it in a sentence ("I'm going to do a trickle of urine?").</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-07-13T09:57:14.010Z
To be frank, I rarely hear "泡水", instead we have "汽水 soda water""柠檬水 lemon water"“茶水 tea” etc.
speakupchinese.com
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-02-08T19:57:19.787Z
This ad on youtube almost killed all my brain cells :D... Who came up with excrement like that...
deutschZuid
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-02-09T05:18:25.160Z
I don't really think any of the meanings of 泡 is closely related to O泡。 It's just a name.
fefe
<meaning>
Meaning of 泡­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­
# Meaning of 泡­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­

(Asked by: username_0 on 2013-02-08)

I first encountered this word in the brand of a kid's drink, [O泡](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWwHN3gbhh4). When I [looked it up](http://www.mdbg.net/chindict/chindict.php?page=worddict&wdrst=0&wdqb=%E6%B3%A1) I saw that it meant something like "bubble", and was (ironically for the name of a drink) the classifier for urine.

Then I saw on TV someone offer 一杯泡水 to a guest (It might have been 一泡杯水 but I read the subtitles and 泡 was definitely there).

So what is 泡水? Bubble water? [Google images](https://www.google.com.au/search?q=%E6%B3%A1%E6%B0%B4&tbm=isch) suggests it's water with slices of lemon/lime.

And while we're on this character, how does one use it as a classifier for urine, perhaps someone could use it in a sentence ("I'm going to do a trickle of urine?").

**Tags:** meaning
> **Comments:**
> **username_2**: This ad on youtube almost killed all my brain cells :D... Who came up with excrement like that...  
> **username_3**: I don't really think any of the meanings of 泡 is closely related to O泡。 It's just a name.  
> **username_1**: To be frank, I rarely hear "泡水", instead we have "汽水 soda water""柠檬水 lemon water"“茶水 tea” etc.  

---

## 3 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2013-02-08. Score: 9 | Accepted answer

You are right in saying that, in general, 泡 means a bubble/bubbles.

When it comes to drinks, 泡水 is actually a verbal phrase, usually preceded by a noun. It refers to water being mixed with other ingredients to create some sort of makeshift drink. For example 柠檬泡水 = lemon water, which is essentially lemon slices submerged in water.

Another usage of this verbal phrase simply refers to dipping oneself in water. 我去游泳池里泡一下水. (I am going to hop in the swimming pool for a while).

一杯泡水 sounds very strange to me. It could be regional slang for 气水 (soft drink/soda) or it could be the result of making a makdeshift drink. You will need to show me the ad so I can understand the context.

As a noun, 泡水 is an alternative phrase for 羊水, or the amniotic fluid that protects a foetus in the mother's womb. It's of course commonly referred to as simply *water*.

As a classifier, it's not just used for urine, but quite often for excrement as well. The following are very idiomatic:

* 撒一泡尿 (to urinate)
* 拉一泡屎 (to defecate)

> **Comments:**
> **username_6**: in addition, there are words like 泡妞，泡吧  

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### Answer by username_4 on 2015-07-13. Score: 0

> For example 柠檬泡水 = lemon water

This is not very right, in Chinese when it comes to water like lemon water we don't use `泡水` we simply use `柠檬水`. So

lemon water = 柠檬水


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### Answer by username_5 on 2015-07-13. Score: -1

you can think about this word as cook, for example, cook water, when you said cook tea, it is 泡茶.


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