Meaning of 险
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- danger
- dangerous
- rugged
How to use 险
On its own, 险 often means "nearly" or "dangerous" in set phrases like 好险 (hǎo xiǎn, that was close). Most of the time it appears in compounds such as 危险 (wēixiǎn), 风险 (fēngxiǎn) and 保险 (bǎoxiǎn). Example: 这条路很危险。(Zhè tiáo lù hěn wēixiǎn.) This road is very dangerous.
险 has the mound radical 阝 on the left and 佥 (qiān) on the right. Picture a steep mound of earth, a rugged hillside where it is dangerous to climb.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 险 (xiǎn) with 脸 (liǎn, face), 检 (jiǎn, to check) and 验 (yàn, to test), which share the same right side. Check the left part: 阝 for danger, 月 for face, 木 for check, 马 for test.
险 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
险 xiǎn · danger · 9 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 险.
| 危险 | wēixiǎn | danger; dangerous |
| 保险 | bǎoxiǎn | insurance; to insure |
| 风险 | fēngxiǎn | risk; hazard |
| 冒险 | màoxiǎn | to take risks; to take chances |
| 探险 | tànxiǎn | to explore; to go on an expedition |
| 惊险 | jīngxiǎn | perilous; touch-and-go; nerve-racking; suspenseful |
| 艰险 | jiānxiǎn | difficult and dangerous; hardships and perils |
| 遇险 | yùxiǎn | to get into difficulties; to meet with danger |
| 化险为夷 | huàxiǎnwéiyí | to turn peril into safety (idiom); to avert disaster |
| 保险箱 | bǎoxiǎnxiāng | safe deposit box; safe |
| 生命危险 | shēngmìngwēixiǎn | risk to one's life |
| 保险柜 | bǎoxiǎnguì | a safe; strongbox |
Questions about 险
What does 险 mean?
险 (xiǎn) means "danger; dangerous" and is used as a adjective.
How do you write 险?
险 is made of 1 character: 险 (9 strokes). That is 9 strokes in total.
Is 险 an HSK word?
Yes. 险 is on the HSK 6 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 险 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 险 is written 險.
What does 好险 mean?
好险 (hǎo xiǎn) is said right after a close call, like "that was close" or "phew". It means something bad almost happened but did not.
What is the difference between 危险 and 风险?
危险 (wēixiǎn) describes a dangerous situation or thing, and it can be an adjective, as in 很危险. 风险 (fēngxiǎn) is a noun meaning risk, often used for money or business, as in 投资有风险 (tóuzī yǒu fēngxiǎn, investing has risks).