About
The character for danger or risk, originally written as "險", derives its core meaning from its left-side radical "阜", which signifies a mound or hill, indicating an association with treacherous terrain such as narrow mountain passes. This original sense of physical peril and difficulty, anchored by the phonetic component "僉" on the right, gradually broadened over centuries to encompass the abstract notions of hazard, chance, and insecurity in any situation. The structural simplification to "险" preserved the foundational "hill" radical while altering the phonetic element to "佥", yet the conceptual link to precarious elevation remains embedded within its form.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
这个地方很危险。
我买了汽车保险。
他喜欢冒险运动。
山路十分险峻。
这次投资有点风险。
避免危险是每个人的本能。
尽管情况险恶，他们还是成功了。
由于地形险要，这里曾经发生过多次事故。