玄 (xuán) - Mysterious, profound, abstruse, deep & dark black

玄Tone 2

xuán ｜ 5 strokes ｜ radical: 玄

信嫣

玄 · xuán

Mysterious, profound, abstruse, deep;

dark black;

the color of the sky;

metaphysical.

Mysterious, profound, abstruse, deepdark blackthe color of the sky

Usage highlights

Mysterious and profoundMetaphysicsDark black colorProfound principlesMysterious gateProfound virtue

Synonyms

Antonyms

  • 浅显— simple and obvious
  • 通俗— common and easy to understand

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • The concept is too profound and mysterious (玄妙).
  • He studies metaphysics (玄学).
  • The sky appears dark and deep (玄色).
  • This martial art contains profound principles (玄功).

Collocations

  • Mysterious and profound(玄妙)
  • Metaphysics(玄学)
  • Dark black color(玄色)
  • Profound principles(玄理)
  • Mysterious gate(玄门)
  • Profound virtue(玄德)

Idioms

  • Mysterious and mysterious again(玄之又玄)
  • Too profound to be understood(玄妙莫测)
  • The profound female(玄牝之门)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • In Daoist philosophy, 'xuan' represents the ultimate, ineffable principle underlying reality.
  • Historically associated with the northern direction and the color black in Chinese cosmology.
  • Considered one of the core concepts in Daoist texts like the Daodejing.

FAQ