乾 (qián) - Dry & parched

乾Tone 2

qián ｜ 11 strokes ｜ radical:

器情

乾 · qián

Dry;

parched;

dried food;

to exhaust;

to drain;

one of the Eight Trigrams representing heaven, masculine principle, and creativity in the I Ching;

also used phonetically in historical names.

Dryparcheddried food

Usage highlights

Dry cleanDried foodToastDry goodsQianlong EmperorQian trigram

Synonyms

  • 干— dry (simplified form)
  • 燥— arid, parched
  • 天— heaven (in trigram context)

Antonyms

  • 濕— wet, moist
  • 坤— earth, feminine principle (opposite trigram)

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • The clothes are dry (衣服是乾的).
  • Dried fruits are nutritious (乾果).
  • He drained the cup in one gulp (乾杯).
  • Qianlong Emperor (乾隆皇帝).

Collocations

  • Dry clean(乾洗)
  • Dried food(乾糧)
  • Toast(乾杯)
  • Dry goods(乾貨)
  • Qianlong Emperor(乾隆)
  • Qian trigram(乾卦)

Idioms

  • The cosmos turns, the firmament endures(乾轉坤旋)
  • Revolving of heaven and earth(旋乾轉坤)
  • The creative and receptive principles(乾剛坤柔)
  • The way of heaven and earth(乾坤之道)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • One of the Eight Trigrams in the I Ching, representing heaven, creativity, masculinity, and the active principle.
  • Associated with imperial authority and celestial power in Chinese cosmology.
  • Used in historical reign titles like Qianlong ('Lasting Heaven') of the Qing dynasty.

FAQ