涎 (xián) - Saliva, drool & to slobber

涎Tone 2

xián ｜ 9 strokes ｜ radical:

万响

涎 · xián

Saliva, drool;

to slobber;

also used metaphorically for something flowing or trailing.

Saliva, droolto slobberalso used metaphorically for something flowing or trailing.

Usage highlights

DroolSalivaMouth wateringAmbergrisDrooling diseaseSlobbering

Synonyms

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • The baby drooled (流涎) while teething.
  • He wiped the saliva (涎水) from his chin.
  • The cake looked so delicious it made my mouth water (垂涎).
  • The dragon's beard was depicted with flowing saliva (龙涎).

Collocations

  • Drool(流涎)
  • Saliva(涎水)
  • Mouth watering(垂涎)
  • Ambergris(龙涎香)
  • Drooling disease(涎腺疾病)
  • Slobbering(垂涎欲滴)

Idioms

  • To covet something(垂涎三尺)
  • To be extremely envious(垂涎欲滴)
  • Ambergris incense(龙涎香)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • In traditional Chinese medicine, saliva (涎) is considered one of the five fluids associated with the spleen.
  • Ambergris (龙涎香), literally 'dragon saliva fragrance,' was highly valued in ancient times for perfume making.
  • The character appears in idioms describing strong desire or envy, often with negative connotations of greed.

FAQ