Dictionary › 咸

咸

xián

HSK 4 Character

What 咸 means

1. all
2. everyone
3. each
4. widespread
5. harmonious

Other readings

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

• xiánsalted; salty; stingy
• Xiánsurname Xian

Example sentences

• 这顿饭不咸。
  Zhè dùn fàn bù xián.
  The meal is not salty.
• 这个食物太咸了。
  Zhège shíwù tài xián le.
  This food is too salty.
• 这碗汤大咸了，喝不下。
  This soup is too salty to eat.
• 你不能喝海水，因为它太咸了。
  Nǐ bù néng hē hǎishuǐ, yīnwèi tā tài xián le.
  You can't drink seawater because it's too salty.
• 做人如果没有梦想，那和咸鱼有什幺区别？
  Without dreams, what different are we from animals?

Words starting with 咸

• 咸菜xián càisalted vegetables; pickles
• 咸丰Xián fēngXianfeng (1831-1861), reign name of Qing emperor, reigned from 1850-1861…
• 咸鱼xián yúsalted fish
• 咸兴Xián xīngHamhung, North Korea
• 咸镜Xián jìngHamgyeongdo Province of Joseon Korea, now divided into North Hamgyeong Province 咸镜北道
• 咸水xián shuǐsalt water; brine
• 咸海Xián HǎiAral Sea
• 咸淡xián dànsalty and unsalty (flavors); degree of saltiness; brackish (water)
• 咸湿xián shī(Taiwan; colloquial) obscene; pornographic
• 咸肉xián ròubacon; salt-cured meat
• 咸盐xián yánsalt (colloquial); table salt
• 咸安区Xián ān QūXian'an, a district of Xianning City 咸宁市
• 咸宁市Xián níng ShìXianning, prefecture-level city in Hubei Province 湖北省
• 咸兴市Xián xīng ShìHamhung, North Korea
• 咸丰县Xián fēng XiànXianfeng, a county in Enshi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture 恩施土家族苗族自治州
• 咸丰草xián fēng cǎo(Taiwan) (botany) hairy beggarticks (Bidens pilosa var. radiata)
• 咸镜道Xián jìng DàoHamgyeong Province of Joseon dynasty Korea, now divided into North Hamgyeong Province 咸镜北道
• 咸阳市Xián yáng ShìXianyang, prefecture-level city in Shaanxi Province 陕西省
• 咸阳桥Xián yáng QiáoXianyang Bridge
• 咸水妹xián shuǐ mèi(dialect) prostitute from Guangdong (esp. one in Shanghai before the Revolution)…
• 咸水湖xián shuǐ húsalt lake
• 咸津津xián jīn jīnnice and salty (taste)
• 咸丝丝xián sī sīslightly salty
• 咸猪手xián zhū shǒupervert (esp. one who gropes women in public)

Words containing 咸

• 老少咸宜lǎo shào xián yísuitable for young and old
• 齁咸hōu xián(dialect) (of food) excessively salty
• 阮咸ruǎn xiánsee 阮

Characters that look like 咸

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

• 威wēipower; might; prestige
• 城chéngcity walls; city; town
• 桑sāng(bound form) mulberry tree
• 扁biǎnflat; (colloquial) to beat (sb) up; old variant of 匾
• 珑lóngtinkling of gem-pendants
• 泷lóngrapids; waterfall; torrential (rain)

Sounds the same

Read xián, tone for tone, but written differently.

• 闲enclosure; (variant of 闲; unoccupied
• 嫌to dislike; suspicion; resentment
• 弦bow string; string of musical instrument; watchspring
• 贤worthy or virtuous person; honorific used for a person of the same or a younger generation
• 衔bit (of a bridle); to hold in the mouth; to harbor (feelings)
• 娴elegant; refined; to be skilled at
• 涎saliva
• 舷side of a ship or an aircraft
• 痫epilepsy; insanity
• 䕭a kind of vegetable
• 伭(literary) cruel; ruthless; (literary) dark red; black
• 憪composed, contented