‘粘贴’ (zhān tiē) is a compound verb meaning 'to paste' — whether physically (e.g., gluing paper) or digitally (e.g., inserting copied text or images into a document). The first character 粘 (zhān) means 'to stick' or 'to adhere', evoking the physical property of adhesion; the second character 贴 (tiē) means 'to affix' or 'to attach closely', emphasizing placement and contact. Together, they form a cohesive action of transferring and securing something onto a surface or location.

This word is extremely common in everyday digital life — used with computers, phones, and apps — but also appears in crafts, cooking (e.g., pasting dough), and signage. It’s almost always transitive and requires an object (e.g., ‘粘贴文字’, ‘粘贴图片’). Unlike standalone 贴 (which can mean ‘to post’ or ‘to apply’ more broadly), 粘贴 specifically implies prior copying or preparation — you must copy before you can paste.