煎 (jiān) - To fry & to pan-fry

煎Tone 1

jiān ｜ 13 strokes ｜ radical:

嘉健

煎 · jiān

To fry;

to pan-fry;

to decoct (herbal medicine);

to torment;

to torture.

To fryto pan-fryto decoct (herbal medicine)

Usage highlights

FryFried dumplingsPanDecoct medicineSlow fire decoctionTorment and suffering

Synonyms

  • 炒— To stir-fry
  • 炸— To deep-fry
  • 熬— To boil; to decoct; to endure

Antonyms

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • I like fried dumplings (煎饺).
  • She is frying eggs (煎鸡蛋).
  • Traditional Chinese medicine requires decocting herbs (煎药).
  • He felt tormented by anxiety (备受煎熬).

Collocations

  • Fry(煎炒)
  • Fried dumplings(煎饺)
  • Pan-fried buns(煎包)
  • Decoct medicine(煎药)
  • Slow fire decoction(文火煎)
  • Torment and suffering(煎熬)

Idioms

  • To be burning with anxiety(心急如煎)
  • Torment and torture(熬煎)
  • Frying on a slow fire(慢火煎)
  • To suffer from internal conflict(相煎何急)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • 煎 is a fundamental cooking technique in Chinese cuisine, especially for creating crispy textures.
  • In traditional Chinese medicine, 煎 refers to the process of boiling herbs to extract their medicinal properties.
  • The character is often used metaphorically to describe mental or emotional suffering, as in 煎熬 (torment).

FAQ