散 (sàn) - scatter, disperse, break up & leisure, free time

散Tone 4

sàn ｜ 12 strokes ｜ radical:

三姗

散 · sàn

scatter, disperse, break up;

leisure, free time;

medicinal powder;

to dismiss, to dissolve

scatter, disperse, break upleisure, free timemedicinal powder

Usage highlights

scatterleisuremedicinal powderdissolvespreadrelax

Synonyms

  • 分— to divide, to separate
  • 离— to leave, to separate
  • 松— loose, relaxed

Antonyms

  • 聚— to gather, to assemble
  • 集— to collect, to gather
  • 整— whole, organized

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • The crowd dispersed (人群散了).
  • I have some free time this afternoon (今天下午我有空散).
  • Take this medicine powder with water (用水送服这包散剂).
  • The meeting was adjourned (会议散了).

Collocations

  • scatter(分散)
  • leisure(闲散)
  • medicinal powder(药散)
  • dissolve(解散)
  • spread(散布)
  • relax(散心)

Idioms

  • Like birds and beasts scattering(鸟兽散)
  • Scattered and in disarray(一盘散沙)
  • Leisurely and carefree(闲云野鹤散)
  • Disperse smoke and clouds(烟消云散)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • In traditional Chinese medicine, '散' refers to powdered herbal preparations that are easily absorbed.
  • The character embodies both the concept of dispersal (negative when implying chaos) and leisure (positive when implying freedom from constraints).
  • In calligraphy, the character's structure represents the balance between order and dispersal.

FAQ