乾

乹/亁

qián, gān

乞 + 𠦝

Definitions

qián (adjective,noun) dry; heaven; male principle

gān (adjective) dry

Etymology

倝 is used to represent the sound. 乙 is a distinguishing stroke.

About

乾 is a phono-semantic compound that combines 倝 (gàn, "sunrise") as a sound marker with 乙 as a distinguishing stroke. It carries two distinct pronunciations and meanings. As qián, it names the first hexagram of the I Ching, symbolizing heaven, male energy, the sovereign, and dynamic creative power. As gān, it is the traditional form for "dry", a meaning now commonly written with the simpler character 干. The character thus bridges cosmological symbolism and the tangible notion of dryness.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

我的房間很乾淨。

Wǒ de fángjiān hěn gānjìng.

My room is very clean.

我們一起乾杯吧。

Wǒmen yīqǐ gānbēi ba.

Let's cheers together.

天氣非常乾燥。

Tiānqì fēicháng gānzào.

The weather is very dry.

乾坤代表天地。

Qiánkūn dàibiǎo tiāndì.

Qiankun represents heaven and earth.

他做事很乾脆。

Tā zuòshì hěn gāncuì.

He does things very straightforwardly.

宇宙的乾坤變化無常。

Yǔzhòu de qiánkūn biànhuà wúcháng.

The universe's qiankun changes unpredictably.

乾燥的季節容易引起火災。

Gānzào de jìjié róngyì yǐnqǐ huǒzāi.

Dry seasons easily cause fires.

人生的乾坤需要自己把握。

Rénshēng de qiánkūn xūyào zìjǐ bǎwò.

The qiankun of life needs to be grasped by oneself.

Related Characters

Composed characters:

Component: 乞

Component: 𠦝

乾