Definitions

yán (noun) salt

Etymology

Simplified form of . Phonosemantic compound. represents the sound and represents the meaning.

About

The character "盐" originates from the traditional form "鹽", which combines the component "鹵" representing brine or salt with "監" possibly alluding to the containment or monitoring involved in historical salt production. The simplified form "盐" incorporates "土" to suggest the earthly or mineral source of salt, while the rest of the character is a condensed representation derived from the original structure. Over time, the character's meaning has remained associated with the substance salt, with its structural evolution focusing on graphical streamlining rather than semantic alteration.

Etymology Hide

Bronze etymology image
Bronze Late Shang dynasty (~1100 BC)
Bronze etymology image
Bronze Early Warring States (~400 BC)
Seal etymology image
Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)
Seal etymology image
Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)
Seal etymology image
Seal Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)
Traditional Modern
Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

汤里需要加点

Tāng lǐ xūyào jiā diǎn yán.

The soup needs a little salt.

是重要的调味品。

Shíyán shì zhòngyào de tiáowèipǐn.

Table salt is an important seasoning.

少吃对健康有好处。

Shǎo chī yán duì jiànkāng yǒu hǎochù.

Eating less salt is good for your health.

这个湖的度非常高。

Zhège hú de yándù fēicháng gāo.

The salinity of this lake is very high.

的主要成分是氯化钠。

Yán de zhǔyào chéngfèn shì lǜhuànà.

The main component of salt is sodium chloride.

古代业曾由国家专营。

Gǔdài yányè céng yóu guójiā zhuānyíng.

In ancient times, the salt industry was once a state monopoly.

这些渍土壤需要改良。

Zhèxiē yánzì tǔrǎng xūyào gǎiliáng.

These saline-alkali soils need improvement.

矿的开采历史非常悠久。

Yánkuàng de kāicǎi lìshǐ fēicháng yōujiǔ.

The history of salt mining is very long.