About
The character 鲜, whose traditional form is 鮮, is composed of the semantic components for "fish" (魚) and "sheep" (羊), a combination that originally pointed to the concept of fresh fish as a prized delicacy, with the sheep component potentially contributing a sense of desirable flavor. This primary meaning of "fresh", particularly pertaining to food, has remained constant in its application. An extended and now equally common meaning of "rare" or "few" emerged, likely through a sense of something being so exquisite or newly available that it is seldom encountered. In contemporary usage, these two distinct meanings coexist, with context determining whether the character conveys the idea of freshness, as in 鮮花 (fresh flowers), or scarcity, as in 鮮見 (rarely seen).
Example Sentences Hide
这牛奶很新鲜。
她买了一些鲜花。
海鲜的味道真鲜美。
他的观点非常鲜明。
这种水果鲜有人知。
这幅画的色彩鲜明亮丽。
他向我们讲述了鲜为人知的历史。
这种现象在当今社会已屡见不鲜。