Definitions

xuàn weep

Etymology phono-semantic

water

Semantic: Phonetic:

About

泫 is a phono-semantic compound. The left-side water radical 氵 provides its core meaning related to liquids or flowing water, while the right-side component 玄 functions as its phonetic element. Its original sense describes water dripping or trickling. In literary contexts, this meaning extended to specifically denote weeping or shedding tears, evoking the image of tears rolling down a face. Consequently, the character is primarily found in formal, poetic, or classical writing to convey sorrow or depict morning dew.

Etymology Hide

Seal etymology image
Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)
Seal etymology image
Seal Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)
Traditional Modern
Simplified Modern