Dictionary › 线

线

xiàn

HSK 4 Character Traditional 線 Measure word 条、股、根

What 线 means

1. thread
2. string
3. wire
4. line
5. (after a number) tier (unofficial ranking of a Chinese city)

Other readings

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

• xiànvariant of {线|xiàn}

Example sentences

• 连线。
  Connect.
• 下线去洗澡
  Xiàxiàn qù xǐzǎo
  Signing off, gonna take a shower.
• 西线无战事
  "All Quiet on the Western Front"
• 他总是在线。
  Tā zǒngshì zàixiàn.
  He is always online.
• 他经常在线。
  Tā jīngcháng zàixiàn.
  He is always online.
• 请在线稍候。
  Please hold the line a moment.

Words starting with 线

• 线索xiàn suǒtrail; clues; thread (of a story)
• 线路xiàn lù(electricity) line; circuit; wire; (traffic) road; track; route
• 线条xiàn tiáoline (in drawing, calligraphy etc); the lines or contours of a three-dimensional object…
• 线上xiàn shàngonline
• 线性xiàn xìnglinear; linearity
• 线段xiàn duànline segment
• 线下xiàn xiàoffline; below the line
• 线人xiàn rénspy; informer
• 线图xiàn túline drawing; diagram; line graph
• 线团xiàn tuánball of string
• 线报xiàn bàotip-off
• 线程xiàn chéng(computing) thread
• 线性图xiàn xìng túline chart
• 线性代数xiàn xìng dài shùlinear algebra
• 线性方程xiàn xìng fāng chénglinear equation (math.)
• 线性系统xiàn xìng xì tǒnglinear system
• 线性规划xiàn xìng guī huàlinear programming
• 线性空间xiàn xìng kōng jiān(math) vector space; linear space
• 线性算子xiàn xìng suàn zilinear operator (math.)
• 线形图xiàn xíng túline chart
• 线状xiàn zhuànglinear
• 线速度xiàn sù dùlinear velocity
• 线性波xiàn xìng bōlinear wave
• 线上查询xiàn shàng chá xúnonline search

Words containing 线

• 占线zhàn xiànbusy (telephone line)
• 视线shì xiànline of sight
• 在线zài xiànonline; connected to the Internet; (fig.) (coll.) (of a person) mentally focused…
• 路线lù xiànitinerary; route; political line (e.g. right revisionist road)
• 热线rè xiànhotline (communications link)
• 光线guāng xiànlight ray; light; illumination
• 一线yī xiànfront line
• 无线wú xiànwireless
• 前线qián xiànfront line; military front; workface
• 曲线qū xiàncurve; curved line; indirect
• 直线zhí xiànstraight line; sharply (rise or fall)
• 电线diàn xiànwire; power cord
• 无线电wú xiàn diànradio; wireless (i.e. the technology used in radio telecommunication); a radio
• 航线háng xiànair or shipping route
• 底线dǐ xiànbottom line; the limit of what one is prepared to accept; (sports) baseline…
• 分数线fēn shù xiànhorizontal line (in a fraction); minimum passing score
• 天线tiān xiànantenna; aerial; (fig.) connection to higher authorities; channel to influential people
• 战线zhàn xiànbattle line; battlefront; front
• 防线fáng xiàndefensive line or perimeter
• 生产线shēng chǎn xiànassembly line; production line
• 沿线yán xiànalong the line (e.g. railway); the region near the line
• 专线zhuān xiànspecial-purpose phone line or communications link; hotline…
• 全线quán xiànthe whole front (in a war); the whole length (of a road or railway line)
• 短线duǎn xiànshort term

Characters built on 戋

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

• 钱qiáncoin; money; unit of weight, one tenth of a tael 两
• 践jiànto fulfill (a promise); to tread; to walk
• 浅qiǎnshallow; light (color)
• 贱jiàninexpensive; lowly; despicable
• 笺jiānletter; note-paper
• 饯jiànfarewell dinner; preserves

Characters that look like 线

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

• 残cánto destroy; to spoil; to ruin
• 阀fápowerful individual, family or group; clique; (loanword) valve
• 艰jiāndifficult; hard; hardship
• 栈zhàna wooden or bamboo pen for sheep or cattle; wood or bamboo trestlework; a warehouse
• 贱jiàninexpensive; lowly; despicable
• 饯jiànfarewell dinner; preserves

Sounds the same

Read xiàn, tone for tone, but written differently.

• 现to appear; present; now
• 羡to envy
• 限to limit; to restrict; (bound form) limit
• 献to offer; to present; to dedicate
• 县county; (Japan) prefecture
• 宪statute; constitution
• 陷pitfall; trap; to get stuck
• 馅filling; stuffing (for dumplings, pies etc)
• 见to appear; also written 现
• 腺gland
• 霰graupel; snow pellet; soft hail
• 苋amaranth (genus Amaranthus); Joseph's coat (Amaranthus tricolor)…