Definitions
(adjective)
salty
(adjective)
all; everyone; each
(adjective)
harmonious
Etymology
Depicts a massacre with a weapon (戌), based on the original meaning "massacre". The current meaning is a phonetic loan.
About
The character 咸, in its traditional form 鹹, originally conveyed the meaning of "all" or "together", a sense derived from its composition of a war axe and a mouth, symbolizing collective speech or action. This original meaning is preserved in classical texts and some compound words, but the character underwent a significant semantic shift to become the primary word for "salty". This change is attributed to its borrowing as a phonetic loan for the concept of saltiness, with the traditional form 鹹 incorporating the radical 鹵, meaning "salt" or "brine", to specifically denote this taste. Over centuries, the "salty" meaning became predominant in everyday usage, largely supplanting its original sense, while the character's structure was later simplified by removing the salt radical, reverting to the simpler 咸 form to represent the same flavor.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
这碗汤有点咸。
我不喜欢吃咸的食物。
早餐我吃了咸菜和粥。
这道菜比那道菜咸。
咸水湖里有很多鱼。
公司的员工咸支持这个决定。
如果你觉得菜太咸，可以加点糖。
由于厨师放多了盐，整锅汤都变得很咸。