俭

儉

jiǎn

亻 + 佥

Definitions

jiǎn (adjective) frugal; thrifty

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 亻 represents the meaning and 佥 represents the sound. Simplified form of 儉.

Semantic: 亻 Phonetic: 佥

About

The character 俭 is a phono-semantic compound. Its left-side semantic radical, 亻 (a person), indicates the character describes a human trait or behavior. The right-side component, 佥 (meaning "all" or "together"), primarily serves as the phonetic indicator. The traditional form is 儉, using the phonetic component 僉. The character’s core meaning is frugality and thrift, referring to the deliberate, economical use of resources or money and the avoidance of waste. This fundamental definition has remained consistent throughout its history.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)

Seal Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

他生活非常节俭。

Tā shēnghuó fēicháng jiéjiǎn.

He lives very frugally.

妈妈教导我们要勤俭节约。

Māma jiàodǎo wǒmen yào qínjiǎn jiéyuē.

Mom teaches us to be diligent and thrifty.

勤俭是一种传统美德。

Qínjiǎn shì yī zhǒng chuántǒng měidé.

Diligence and thrift are traditional virtues.

公司提倡俭省办公以节约成本。

Gōngsī tíchàng jiǎnshěng bàngōng yǐ jiéyuē chéngběn.

The company advocates frugal office operations to save costs.

他的俭朴作风给我们留下了深刻印象。

Tā de jiǎnpǔ zuòfēng gěi wǒmen liú xiàle shēnkè yìnxiàng.

His simple and frugal style left a deep impression on us.

在资源日益紧张的时代，节俭更显重要。

Zài zīyuán rìyì jǐnzhāng de shídài, jiéjiǎn gèng xiǎn zhòngyào.

In an era of increasingly tight resources, frugality becomes even more important.

这种俭约的生活方式其实蕴含着大智慧。

Zhè zhǒng jiǎnyuē de shēnghuó fāngshì qíshí yùn hán zhe dà zhìhuì.

This kind of frugal lifestyle actually contains great wisdom.

奢靡之风不可长，俭素之心当永存。

Shēmí zhī fēng bùkě zhǎng, jiǎnsù zhī xīn dāng yǒng cún.

The trend of extravagance should not be encouraged, while the heart of frugality should endure forever.

Related Characters

Component: 亻

Component: 佥

俭