Dictionary › 参

参

cān

HSK 3 Character Traditional 參

What 参 means

1. to take part in
2. to participate
3. to join
4. to attend
5. to counsel
6. unequal
7. varied
8. irregular
9. uneven
10. not uniform
11. abbr. for 参议院 Senate, Upper House

Other readings

参 is 多音字 — it is read more than one way, and the reading changes the meaning.

• cēnused in {参差|cēn cī}
• shēnginseng; one of the 28 constellations
• cānvariant of {参|cān}
• cānold variant of {参|cān}
• shēnvariant of {参|shēn}
• shēnvariant of {参|shēn}

Example sentences

• 参与！
  Participate!
• 他参加辩论
  Tā cānjiā biànlùn
  He participated in the debate.
• 参见上文。
  Cānjiàn shàngwén.
  See above.
• 我要参与。
  I want to take part.
• 我想参加。
  I want to participate.
• 谁也参不透。
  Nobody can understand it.

Words starting with 参

• 参加cān jiāto participate; to take part; to join
• 参观cān guānto visit (a place, e.g. museum or factory); to tour; to look around
• 参与cān yùto participate (in sth)
• 参考cān kǎoconsultation; reference; to consult
• 参照cān zhàoto consult a reference; to refer to (another document)
• 参谋cān móustaff officer; to give advice
• 参赛cān sàito compete; to take part in a competition
• 参数cān shùparameter
• 参见cān jiànto refer to; see also; compare (cf.)
• 参拜cān bàito formally call on; to worship (a God); to pay homage to sb
• 参考书cān kǎo shūreference book
• 参展cān zhǎnto exhibit at or take part in a trade show etc
• 参与者cān yù zhěparticipant
• 参军cān jūnto join the army; (official title in imperial China) military adviser; aide-de-camp
• 参阅cān yuèto consult; to refer to; to read (instructions)
• 参谋长cān móu zhǎngchief of staff
• 参议员cān yì yuánsenator
• 参加者cān jiā zhěparticipant
• 参战cān zhànto go to war; to engage in war
• 参选cān xuǎnto be a candidate in an election or other selection process; to run for office…
• 参看cān kànto consult for reference; see also; please refer to
• 参赞cān zànto serve as an adviser; (diplomatic rank) attaché; counselor
• 参差不齐cēn cī bù qí(idiom) variable; uneven; irregular
• 参差cēn cīuneven; jagged; snaggletooth; ragged; serrated

Words containing 参

• 人参rén shēnginseng
• 仅供参考jǐn gōng cān kǎofor reference only
• 海参hǎi shēnsea cucumber
• 海参崴Hǎi shēn wǎiHaishenwai, traditional Chinese name for Vladivostok 符拉迪沃斯托克
• 总参谋长zǒng cān móu zhǎng(military) Chief of Staff
• 内参nèi cānrestricted document, available only to certain individuals such as high-ranking Party…
• 丹参dān shēn(botany) red sage (Salvia miltiorrhiza)
• 传参chuán cānto pass an argument (computing) (abbr. for 传递参数
• 实参shí cān(computing) actual parameter; argument (abbr. for 实际参数
• 形参xíng cān(computing) formal parameter (abbr. for 形式参数
• 曹参Cáo CānCao Can (-190 BC), second chancellor of Han Dynasty, contributed to its founding by…
• 曾参Zēng ShēnZeng Shen (505-435 BC), a.k.a. 曾子
• 毒参dú shēnhemlock (Conium maculatum)
• 沙参shā shēnladybell root (Radix adenophorae)
• 玄参xuán shēnNingpo figwort (Scrophularia ningpoensis); root of Ningpo figwort (used in TCM)
• 苦参kǔ shēnliquorice (Sophora flavescens), with roots used in TCM
• 高参gāo cānsenior staff officer; staff officer of great talent
• 党参dǎng shēnpoor man's ginseng (Codonopsis pilosula); codonopsis root (used in TCM)
• 人参果rén shēn guǒfictional fruit in the classic Chinese novel Journey to the West 西游记; pepino melon
• 川党参Chuān dǎng shēnSichuan codonopsis (Codonopsis pilosula, root used in TCM)
• 花旗参huā qí shēnAmerican ginseng
• 西洋参xī yáng shēnAmerican ginseng (Panax quinquefolius)
• 高丽参Gāo lí shēnKoryo ginseng
• 仅作参考jǐn zuò cān kǎofor reference only

Characters built on 彡

These share the phonetic component 彡 (shān), which is why their readings rhyme. Learning them as a family is far cheaper than learning them one at a time.

• 杉shānChina fir; Cunninghamia lanceolata; also pr. shā
• 衫shāngarment; jacket with open slits in place of sleeves
• 彦yànaccomplished; elegant
• 钐shānsamarium (chemistry)

Characters that look like 参

Easy to confuse on sight. Compare them side by side once and the pair stops costing you.

• 券quànbond (esp. document split in two, with each party holding one half); contract…
• 春chūnspring (season); gay; joyful
• 奉fèngto offer (tribute); to present respectfully (to superior, ancestor, deity etc); to esteem
• 奏zòuto play music; to achieve; to present a memorial to the emperor (old)
• 牵qiānto lead along; to pull (an animal on a tether); (bound form) to involve
• 劵juànold variant of 倦

Sounds the same

Read cān, tone for tone, but written differently.

• 餐meal; to eat; classifier for meals
• 歺second-round simplified character for 餐
• 骖outside horses of a team of 4
• 喰old variant of 餐
• 湌variant of 餐
• 飡variant of 餐