飲

// Verb: To drink. In early poetic contexts (e.g., //Shijing*), if the object is unspecified, there is a strong tendency toward wine or spirits.

• Verb: To swallow; the physical act of completing ingestion.
• Noun: A drink, potable liquid, potion, brew, or medicinal concoction, particularly when modified by an adjective.

• Transitive: To drink [liquid].
• Intransitive: To engage in the act of drinking, often implying social or ritual contexts.

• 吞 (tūn): Specifically to gulp or engulf; more visceral/aggressive than the general intake of 飲.
• 啜 (chuò): To sip or suck; emphasizes a refined or slow method of intake.
• 酌 (zhuó): Refers to the pouring and measured serving of wine, focusing on ceremony and preparation rather than consumption.

• Variants: U+996E (simplified), U+98EE (Z-variant). These are orthographic variants and do not signal a shift in meaning or usage.