咸 xián — all, salty · English

咸

xián

all, salty

At a glance · 咸

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Evolution of the glyph

Five stages, from a sketch of the real object to regular script — tap a stage, drag the timeline, or play the animation.

Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seen
Oracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCE
Seal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCE
Clerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CE
Regular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE

Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seenOracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCESeal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCEClerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CERegular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE

咸字小篆从口从戌，会意为皆、全；本义为普遍、都。甲骨文象以戈伤人，后借为盐味。

What the sketch shows

Origins & notes

咸本义为皆、都（副词），后借指咸味。

Structure

咸为会意字，从口从戌，表示人人皆然；咸味为后起借义。

At a glance

Pinyinxián

Radical口

Strokes9

UnicodeU+54B8

Character type会意

Theme虚词

Six languages, one character

Each page offers hreflang versions; switching language keeps the glyphs and meanings aligned.

English all, salty Xian originally meant all and everyone and was later borrowed for the salty taste.

Français tous, salé Xian signifiait à l'origine tous et chacun et a ensuite été emprunté pour le goût salé.

Español todos, salado Xian originalmente significaba todos y cada uno y luego se tomó prestado para el sabor salado.

العربية كل، مالح شيان كان في الأصل يعني الجميع ثم استُعير للطعم المالح.

Русский все, солёный Сянь изначально означало «все» и было заимствовано для солёного вкуса.

Common words

咸味xián wèisalty
咸菜xián càipickles

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