Dictionary › 焉

焉

yān

Character

What 焉 means

1. where
2. how

Example sentences

• 他心不在焉。
  Tā xīnbùzàiyān.
  He's absent-minded.
• 杀鸡焉用牛刀。
  Never use a cannon to kill a fly.
• 他在课堂上心不在焉。
  Tā zài kètáng shàngxīn bù zài yān.
  He had his head in the clouds in class.
• 不入虎穴，焉得虎子。
  Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
• 她心不在焉的把车子撞在了柱子上。
  Tā xīnbùzàiyān de bǎ chēzi zhuàng zài le zhùzi shàng.
  By lack of attention, she hit the post with her car.

Words starting with 焉

• 焉知yān zhī(literary) how is one to know?
• 焉耆盆地Yān qí pén dìYanqi basin in northeast of Tarim basin
• 焉耆回族自治县Yān qí Huí zú Zì zhì xiànYanqi Hui Autonomous County, in Bayingolin Mongol Autonomous Prefecture 巴音郭楞蒙古自治州
• 焉耆Yān qísee 焉耆回族自治县
• 焉耆县Yān qí Xiànsee 焉耆回族自治县

Words containing 焉

• 心不在焉xīn bù zài yānabsent-minded; preoccupied; inattentive
• 于焉yú yān(classical) see 于是
• 异焉yì yānfeeling surprised at sth
• 功莫大焉gōng mò dà yānno greater contribution has been made than this (idiom)
• 有子存焉yǒu zǐ cún yānI still have sons, don't I?; fig. future generations will continue the work
• 语焉不详yǔ yān bù xiángto mention sth without elaborating (idiom); not giving details
• 割鸡焉用牛刀gē jī yān yòng niú dāolit. why use a pole-ax to slaughter a chicken? (idiom)…
• 杀鸡焉用牛刀shā jī yān yòng niú dāodon't use a sledgehammer on a nut; aquila non capit muscam
• 塞翁失马焉知非福sài wēng shī mǎ yān zhī fēi fúthe old man lost his mare, but it all turned out for the best (idiom)…
• 燕雀焉知鸿鹄之志yàn què yān zhī hóng gǔ zhī zhìlit. can the sparrow and swallow know the will of the great swan? (idiom)…
• 不入虎穴，焉得虎子bù rù hǔ xué , yān dé hǔ zǐHow do you catch the tiger cub without entering the tiger's lair? (idiom)…
• 过而能改，善莫大焉guò ér néng gǎi , shàn mò dà yānIf one can change after making a mistake, there is nothing better (idiom)

Characters that look like 焉

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

• 展zhǎnto spread out; to open up; to exhibit
• 票piàoticket; ballot; banknote
• 巢cháonest
• 栗lì(literary) cold; chilly; (bound form) to tremble with fear
• 祟suìevil spirit
• 莴wōused in 莴苣; used in 莴笋

Sounds the same

Read yān, tone for tone, but written differently.

• 烟cigarette or pipe tobacco; smoke; mist
• 淹to flood; to submerge; to drown
• 殷dark red
• 阉to castrate; a castrate; neuter
• 嫣(literary) lovely; sweet
• 腌to salt; to pickle; to cure (meat)
• 咽throat; pharynx; narrow pass
• 湮(literary) to sink into oblivion; (literary) to silt up; Taiwan pr. yīn
• 胭rouge
• 啱correct; suitable; to suit sb
• 鄢used in 鄢陵
• 恹used in 恹恹