TSUMUGU · TOCFL 5 (est.) · 字
沾
沾 ＝ 氵 ＋ 占
ㄓㄢ · zhān
verb — to moisten, wet; to be stained with; to touch, get a share of
字源 FORM — what the parts do
氵義water
Water (氵) plus the sound 占 (zhān) — a little water touches and clings: to moisten, to get wet. What the wet picks up, it carries: 沾染 to be tainted, 沾光 to share in another's good fortune, 沾手 to have a hand in.
故事 STORY — a scene to remember it by
袖子掃過桌面（氵），那點水一碰就黏上來了——沾。
A sleeve brushes the wet table (氵); that bit of water clings on at a touch — 沾.
字源
意 · Meanings
(本義)沾濕、沾水— to moisten, get wet常用
→沾染、沾上— to be stained with, pick up
⇒沾光、沾手— to share in; to have a hand in
(本義) original meaning · → ⇒ each arrow = one more step of extension