璇 (xuán) - Fine jade & beautiful jade

璇Tone 2

xuán ｜ 15 strokes ｜ radical:

信嫣

璇 · xuán

Fine jade;

beautiful jade;

a type of precious stone in ancient Chinese texts;

often used metaphorically for something precious or excellent.

Fine jadebeautiful jadea type of precious stone in ancient Chinese

Usage highlights

Beautiful jadeJade ornamentJadeJade palaceJade platformJade quality

Synonyms

  • 玉— jade (more common term for jade)
  • 琼— fine jade, red jade
  • 瑶— precious jade

Antonyms

  • 石— stone, rock (ordinary stone as opposed to precious jade)
  • 瓦— tile, earthenware (common ceramic as opposed to precious jade)

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • Her name contains the character for beautiful jade (璇).
  • The ancient text mentions a jade-like stone (璇玉).
  • This is a precious jade ornament (璇璣).
  • She possesses jade-like virtue (璇德).

Collocations

  • Beautiful jade(璇玉)
  • Jade ornament(璇璣)
  • Jade-like virtue(璇德)
  • Jade palace(璇宮)
  • Jade platform(璇台)
  • Jade quality(璇質)

Idioms

  • Hold the jade and cherish the pearl(握璇懷瑜)
  • Jade platform and pearl curtain(璇台珠簾)
  • Jade palace and jade tree(璇宮玉樹)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • In ancient China, jade was highly valued not just as ornament but as symbol of virtue and moral purity.
  • The character 璇 appears in classical texts like the Book of Songs, often describing precious jade objects.
  • Used in imperial contexts for palaces and astronomical instruments (e.g., 璇璣 for armillary sphere).
  • Considered an elegant character for female names, conveying beauty, purity, and preciousness.

FAQ