闲 xián — idle, leisure · English

闲

xián

idle, leisure

At a glance · 闲

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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

⚠ Some ancient forms are not attested：oracle bone form、seal script form。No excavated oracle bone / seal artifact is attested for this character yet; we leave it blank rather than fabricate.

金文、小篆从门从木，会意门内木栏（本指栅栏），引申为空闲、安闲。隶楷作「閒」（闲），简化作「闲」。

What the sketch shows

Origins & notes

「闲」本指门栏，引申为闲暇、清闲、无关。

Structure

会意字，从门从木，象门中设木栅栏。

At a glance

Pinyinxián

Radical门

Strokes7

UnicodeU+95F2

Character type会意

Theme状态

Six languages, one character

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

English idle, leisure Idle, leisure; a fence (original).

Français libre, loisir Libre, loisir; une barrière (origine).

Español libre, ocio Libre, ocio; una barrera (origen).

العربية فراغ، هادئ فراغ أو هادئ أو حاجز.

Русский праздный, досуг Праздный, свободный; досуг (изначально загон).

Common words

闲xiánidle
空闲kòng xiánfree

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