Definitions

shěn old variant of 瀋|沈[shěn]

Etymology phono-semantic

water

Semantic: Phonetic:

About

, the simplified form of , is a phono-semantic compound: the water radical (shuǐ) signals the liquid sense, and (shěn) gives the sound. Historically it denoted juices pressed from vegetables or liquids from cooked meat, serving as a specific noun for natural fluids and broths in early Chinese texts. Although the traditional abbreviates the city of Shenyang, the character's core meaning remains rooted in biological liquids and extracts, dictated by the water radical.

Etymology Hide

Seal etymology image
Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)
Traditional Modern
Simplified Modern