淺 (qiǎn) - Shallow — not deep & superficial

淺Tone 3

qiǎn ｜ 11 strokes ｜ radical:

器情

淺 · qiǎn

Shallow — not deep;

superficial;

light in color;

simple or easy;

of short duration.

Shallow — not deepsuperficiallight in color

Usage highlights

Shallow waterLight colorSuperficial knowledgeEasy to understandShallow seaLow depth

Synonyms

  • 薄— thin; weak (in the sense of superficial)
  • 淡— light; pale (in color context)

Antonyms

  • 深— deep; profound
  • 浓— dark; concentrated (in color context)

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • The water is shallow (水很浅).
  • Light blue color (浅蓝色).
  • Superficial knowledge (浅薄的知识).
  • A short period of time (浅短的时间).

Collocations

  • Shallow water(浅水)
  • Light color(浅色)
  • Superficial knowledge(浅见)
  • Easy to understand(浅显)
  • Shallow sea(浅海)
  • Low depth(浅度)

Idioms

  • Shallow and superficial learning(才疏学浅)
  • To have a narrow and limited view(目光短浅)
  • To talk superficially(浅谈)
  • To wade through shallow water(浅尝辄止)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • Often used metaphorically in Chinese to describe lack of depth in knowledge or character.
  • In traditional thought, 'deep' is valued over 'shallow' in matters of learning and relationships.
  • Used in color names to indicate pale or light shades.

FAQ