咸 (xián) - all & everyone

咸Tone 2

xián ｜ 9 strokes ｜ radical:

万响

咸 · xián

all;

everyone;

everything;

salty;

used in classical Chinese as an adverb meaning 'all' or 'together';

also refers to the ancient state of Xian.

alleveryoneeverything

Usage highlights

salty tastepickled vegetablesXianyang Citysalt and pepperdried salted fishall people

Synonyms

  • 都— all; everyone
  • 全— complete; whole
  • 盐— salt (related to salty taste)

Antonyms

  • 淡— bland; light (opposite of salty)
  • 甜— sweet (opposite taste)

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • The soup is too salty (汤太咸了).
  • Everyone agrees with this proposal (咸表同意).
  • Xianyang was the capital of Qin (咸阳).
  • This dish needs more salt (这道菜需要多放点咸).

Collocations

  • salty taste(咸味)
  • pickled vegetables(咸菜)
  • Xianyang City(咸阳市)
  • salt and pepper(咸椒)
  • dried salted fish(咸鱼)
  • all people(咸人)

Idioms

  • Having experienced all the sweet and bitter experiences of life(咸酸苦辣)
  • All officials(群臣咸至)
  • All under heaven belongs to the public(天下为公，咸使闻知)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • In ancient Chinese, 咸 was commonly used as an adverb meaning 'all' or 'together', frequently appearing in classical texts.
  • As a place name, it appears in Xianyang, which was the capital of the Qin dynasty and an important city in Chinese history.
  • In modern Chinese, 咸 primarily means 'salty', representing one of the five basic tastes.

FAQ