Definitions

jiān (verb) to pan fry; to sauté

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. represents the meaning and represents the sound.

Semantic: Phonetic:

About

The character is a phono-semantic compound with two components: the lower one, , is a standard variant of the fire radical () used at the bottom of characters, indicating fire or heat; the upper one, (whose independent meaning is 'front'), functions here purely as a phonetic clue. The primary meaning of is to shallow-fry or sauté food in a small amount of oil. It can also mean to simmer or slow-boil something in liquid, a meaning most commonly encountered in the context of herbal medicine, where raw ingredients are boiled over steady heat to extract their essences, a process known as decoction.

Etymology Hide

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

妈妈在鸡蛋。

Māmā zài jiān jīdàn.

Mom is frying eggs.

我喜欢吃鱼。

Wǒ xǐhuān chī jiān yú.

I like to eat fried fish.

他用小火牛排。

Tā yòng xiǎo huǒ jiān niúpái.

He is pan-frying the steak over low heat.

饺子需要耐心。

Jiān jiǎozi xūyào nàixīn.

Frying dumplings requires patience.

奶奶擅长葱油饼。

Nǎinai shàncháng jiān cōngyóubǐng.

Grandma is good at making scallion pancakes.

这种药需要服。

Zhè zhǒng yào xūyào jiānfú.

This kind of medicine needs to be decocted and taken.

生活有时是一种熬。

Shēnghuó yǒushí shì yī zhǒng jiān'áo.

Life is sometimes an ordeal.

他在忍受着内心的熬。

Tā zài rěnshòu zhe nèixīn de jiān'áo.

He is enduring inner torment.