Definitions

xián variant of 涎[xián]
xián saliva

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. represents the meaning and represents the sound.

Semantic: Phonetic:

About

The character 涎, meaning saliva or drool, is structurally composed of the water radical 氵 on the left and the component 延 on the right, with the latter primarily functioning as a phonetic element while the radical denotes its association with liquid. Etymologically, this pictophonetic construction has consistently linked the character to fluids from the mouth, and its meaning has extended beyond the literal sense to include metaphorical uses in expressions implying greed or intense desire. The traditional form 涎, which has not undergone simplification, retains this composition, reflecting its historical development as a character where the semantic and phonetic components jointly define its usage and interpretation.

Example Sentences Hide

婴儿经常流

Yīng'ér jīngcháng liú xián.

Babies often drool.

他睡觉时流

Tā shuìjiào shí liú xián.

He drools when sleeping.

看到草莓蛋糕我垂

Kàn dào cǎoméi dàngāo wǒ chuí xián.

I drool over the strawberry cake.

这只狗对着肉流

Zhè zhī gǒu duì zhe ròu liú xián.

This dog drools at the meat.

婴儿的水弄湿了衣服。

Yīng'ér de xiánshuǐ nòng shī le yīfu.

The baby's drool wet the clothes.

他忍不住对新车垂

Tā rěn bù zhù duì xīn chē chuí xián.

He can't help but covet the new car.

看到如此精美的艺术品,他不禁垂

Kàn dào rúcǐ jīngměi de yìshùpǐn, tā bùjīn chuí xián.

Seeing such exquisite artwork, he couldn't help but covet it.

长期流可能是健康问题的征兆。

Chángqī liú xián kěnéng shì jiànkāng wèntí de zhēngzhào.

Chronic drooling might be a sign of health issues.