鹽 (yán) - Salt — a crystalline mineral substance used for & chemical compound sodium chloride (NaCl)

鹽Tone 2

yán ｜ 24 strokes ｜ radical:

妍嬿

鹽 · yán

Salt — a crystalline mineral substance used for seasoning and preserving food;

chemical compound sodium chloride (NaCl);

also used metaphorically for experience or bitterness.

Salt — a crystalline mineral substance used forchemical compound sodium chloride (NaCl)also used metaphorically for experience or bitterness.

Usage highlights

Table saltSea saltRock saltSalt mineSalt fieldSalt industry

Synonyms

  • 鹹— salty (taste)

Antonyms

  • 甜— sweet
  • 淡— bland; lightly salted

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • Add salt to the soup (加鹽).
  • Sea salt is harvested from seawater (海鹽).
  • Table salt is refined sodium chloride (食鹽).
  • The experience was like rubbing salt in a wound (在傷口上撒鹽).

Collocations

  • Table salt(食鹽)
  • Sea salt(海鹽)
  • Rock salt(岩鹽)
  • Salt mine(鹽礦)
  • Salt field(鹽田)
  • Salt industry(鹽業)

Idioms

  • To add oil and vinegar(添油加醋)
  • To have experienced many hardships(歷盡滄桑)
  • Salt and plum — indispensable necessities(鹽梅之寄)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • Salt was a state monopoly in imperial China, crucial for revenue and control.
  • Historically, salt merchants formed powerful economic groups, especially during the Ming and Qing dynasties.
  • Salt routes were vital trade networks, comparable to the Silk Road in economic importance.

FAQ