Definitions

qiǎn (adjective) shallow
qiǎn (adjective) light (color)

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. represents the meaning and represents the sound. Simplified form of .

Semantic: Phonetic:

About

The character "浅", traditionally written as "淺", incorporates the water radical alongside the component "戔", which historically carries connotations of diminishment or scantiness, thereby etymologically constructing the idea of water with limited depth. Over time, its semantic range extended from describing physical shallowness to figurative uses, such as indicating superficial knowledge, slight degrees of intensity, or pale colors within compound expressions. The structural shift to the simplified form "浅" modified the right-hand element to "戋" while preserving the water radical, thus continuing to anchor the character's meaning in concepts associated with liquidity and lack of profundity, a conceptual continuity evident from its earliest recorded uses through to modern applications.

Etymology Hide

Bronze etymology image
Bronze Late Spring and Autumn (~500 BC)
Bronze etymology image
Bronze Early Warring States (~400 BC)
Seal etymology image
Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)
Seal etymology image
Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)
Seal etymology image
Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)
Seal etymology image
Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)
Traditional Modern
Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

这个湖的水很

Zhège hú de shuǐ hěn qiǎn.

The water in this lake is very shallow.

我买了一件蓝色的衬衫。

Wǒ mǎile yī jiàn qiǎn lán sè de chènshān.

I bought a light blue shirt.

孩子们在水区玩耍。

Háizimen zài qiǎn shuǐ qū wánshuǎ.

The children are playing in the shallow water area.

他对这个问题的理解很

Tā duì zhège wèntí de lǐjiě hěn qiǎn.

His understanding of this issue is superficial.

这篇文章内容显,容易读懂。

Zhè piān wénzhāng nèiróng qiǎnxiǎn, róngyì dú dǒng.

The content of this article is simple and easy to understand.

我们只是交,并不熟悉。

Wǒmen zhǐshì qiǎn jiāo, bìng bù shúxī.

We are just casual acquaintances and not familiar with each other.

这种层分析无法揭示根本原因。

Zhè zhǒng qiǎn céng fēnxī wúfǎ jiēshì gēnběn yuányīn.

This superficial analysis cannot reveal the root cause.

她用显的语言解释了复杂的理论。

Tā yòng qiǎnxiǎn de yǔyán jiěshì le fùzá de lǐlùn.

She explained the complex theory in simple language.