賢

See also: 覧, 覽, 贤, 贒, and 䝨

賢	U+8CE2, 賢 CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-8CE2

← 賡
[U+8CE1]

CJK Unified Ideographs

賣 →
[U+8CE3]

Translingual

Japanese
Simplified	贤
Traditional

Han character

賢 (Kangxi radical 154, 貝+8 in Chinese, 貝+9 in Japanese, 15 strokes in Chinese, 16 strokes in Japanese, cangjie input 尸水月山金 (SEBUC), four-corner 7780₆, composition ⿱臤貝 or ⿱䁂八)

Derived characters

礥(𰧇) 臔藖(𬜾) 鑦㘋䉯𡮷𡮺𢤞𢸒𤂐𪦬𫣴(𫢲)

References

Kangxi Dictionary: page 1209, character 28
Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 36822
Dae Jaweon: page 1674, character 17
Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 6, page 3646, character 6
Unihan data for U+8CE2

Chinese

trad.		賢
simp.		贤
alternative forms		𬥎贒臤䝨𠤕

Glyph origin

Historical forms of the character 賢
Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han)
Small seal script

Characters in the same phonetic series (臣) (Zhengzhang, 2003)

	Old Chinese
臤	kʰaːn, kʰriːn, ɡiːn, kʰins
掔	kʰriːn, kʰiːn
慳	*kʰriːn
藖	ɡriːn, ɡriːns
堅	*kiːn
鋻	kiːn, kiːns
鰹	*kiːn
蜸	*kʰiːnʔ
菣	kʰiːns, kʰins
賢	*ɡiːn
礥	ɡiːn, ɢrin
臔	*ɡiːnʔ
挋	*kiŋs
臣	*ɡiŋ
茞	*ɡiŋ
腎	*ɡjinʔ
頣	*hŋiŋʔ
緊	*kinʔ
嚚	*ŋɡriŋ
鏗	*kʰreːŋ
摼	*kʰreːŋ
硻	*kʰreːŋ

Phono-semantic compound (形聲 / 形声, OC *ɡiːn): phonetic 臤 (OC *kʰaːn, *kʰriːn, *ɡiːn, *kʰins) + semantic 貝 (“money”) – worthy, valuable (like money)

Etymology 1

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation

Mandarin
(Standard)
(Pinyin): xián (xian²)

(Zhuyin): ㄒㄧㄢˊ

(Chengdu, Sichuanese Pinyin): xian²
Cantonese
(Guangzhou–Hong Kong, Jyutping): jin⁴

(Taishan, Wiktionary): yen³
Gan (Wiktionary): xien⁴
Hakka
(Sixian, PFS): hièn / hiàn

(Hailu, HRS): hien

(Meixian, Guangdong): hian²
Jin (Wiktionary): xie¹
Northern Min (KCR): hǐng
Eastern Min (BUC): hièng
Puxian Min (Pouseng Ping'ing): heng²
Southern Min
(Hokkien, POJ): hiân

(Teochew, Peng'im): hiang⁵ / hiêng⁵
Wu (Shanghai, Wugniu): ⁶yi
Xiang (Changsha, Wiktionary): xienn²

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: xián
  - Zhuyin: ㄒㄧㄢˊ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: sián
  - Wade–Giles: hsien²
  - Yale: syán
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: shyan
  - Palladius: сянь (sjanʹ)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /ɕi̯ɛn³⁵/
- (Chengdu)
  - Sichuanese Pinyin: xian²
  - Scuanxua Ladinxua Xin Wenz: xian
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /ɕiɛn²¹/
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
  - Jyutping: jin⁴
  - Yale: yìhn
  - Cantonese Pinyin: jin⁴
  - Guangdong Romanization: yin⁴
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /jiːn²¹/
- (Taishanese, Taicheng)
  - Wiktionary: yen³
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /jen²²/
Gan
- (Nanchang)
  - Wiktionary: xien⁴
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /ɕiɛn³⁵/
Hakka
- (Northern Sixian, incl. Miaoli)
  - Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: hièn
  - Hakka Romanization System: hien^ˇ
  - Hagfa Pinyim: hian²
  - Sinological IPA: /hi̯en¹¹/
- (Southern Sixian, incl. Neipu)
  - Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: hiàn
  - Hakka Romanization System: hian^ˇ
  - Hagfa Pinyim: hian²
  - Sinological IPA: /hi̯an¹¹/
- (Hailu, incl. Zhudong)
  - Hakka Romanization System: hien
  - Sinological IPA: /hien⁵⁵/
- (Meixian)
  - Guangdong: hian²
  - Sinological IPA: /hian¹¹/
Jin
- (Taiyuan)⁺
  - Wiktionary: xie¹
  - Sinological IPA (old-style): /ɕie¹¹/
Northern Min
- (Jian'ou)
  - Kienning Colloquial Romanized: hǐng
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /xiŋ²¹/
Eastern Min
- (Fuzhou)
  - Bàng-uâ-cê: hièng
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /hieŋ⁵³/
Puxian Min
- (Putian)
  - Pouseng Ping'ing: heng²
  - Báⁿ-uā-ci̍: héng
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /hɛŋ¹³/
- (Xianyou)
  - Pouseng Ping'ing: heng²
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /hɛŋ²⁴/
Southern Min
- (Hokkien: Xiamen, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, Jinjiang, General Taiwanese)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: hiân
  - Tâi-lô: hiân
  - Phofsit Daibuun: hieen
  - IPA (Kaohsiung): /hiɛn²³/
  - IPA (Xiamen, Quanzhou, Jinjiang, Taipei): /hiɛn²⁴/
  - IPA (Zhangzhou): /hiɛn¹³/
- (Teochew)
  - Peng'im: hiang⁵ / hiêng⁵
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: hiâng / hiêng
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /hiaŋ⁵⁵/, /hieŋ⁵⁵/

Note:

hiang5 - Shantou;
hiêng5 - Chaozhou.

Wu
- (Northern: Shanghai)
  - Wugniu: ⁶yi
  - MiniDict: yi^去
  - Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): ³hhi
  - Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /ɦi²³/
Xiang
- (Changsha)
  - Wiktionary: xienn²
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /ɕi̯ẽ¹³/

Dialectal data

Variety	Location	edit 賢
Mandarin	Beijing	/ɕian³⁵/
	Harbin	/ɕian²⁴/
	Tianjin	/ɕian⁴⁵/
	Jinan	/ɕiã⁴²/
	Qingdao	/ɕiã⁴²/
	Zhengzhou	/ɕian⁴²/
	Xi'an	/ɕiã²⁴/
	Xining	/ɕiã²⁴/
	Yinchuan	/ɕian⁵³/
	Lanzhou	/ɕiɛ̃n⁵³/
	Ürümqi	/ɕian⁵¹/
	Wuhan	/ɕiɛn²¹³/
	Chengdu	/ɕian³¹/
	Guiyang	/ɕian²¹/
	Kunming	/ɕiɛ̃³¹/
	Nanjing	/ɕien²⁴/
	Hefei	/ɕiĩ⁵⁵/
Jin	Taiyuan	/ɕie¹¹/
	Pingyao	/ɕie̞¹³/
	Hohhot	/ɕie³¹/
Wu	Shanghai	/ɦi²³/
	Suzhou	/ɦiɪ¹³/
	Hangzhou	/ɦiẽ̞²¹³/
	Wenzhou	/ji³¹/
Hui	Shexian	/ɕie⁴⁴/
Hui	Tunxi	/ɕiɛ⁴⁴/
Xiang	Changsha	/ɕiẽ¹³/
Xiang	Xiangtan	/ɕiẽ¹²/
Gan	Nanchang	/ɕiɛn⁴⁵/
Hakka	Meixian	/hian¹¹/
Hakka	Taoyuan	/hien¹¹/
Cantonese	Guangzhou	/jin²¹/
	Nanning	/jin²¹/
	Hong Kong	/jin²¹/
Min	Xiamen (Hokkien)	/hian³⁵/
	Fuzhou (Eastern Min)	/hieŋ⁵³/
	Jian'ou (Northern Min)	/xiŋ²¹/
	Shantou (Teochew)	/hiaŋ⁵⁵/
	Haikou (Hainanese)	/hin³¹/

Middle Chinese: hen

Rime
Character	賢
Reading #	1/1
Initial (聲)	匣 (33)
Final (韻)	先 (85)
Tone (調)	Level (Ø)
Openness (開合)	Open
Division (等)	IV
Fanqie	胡田切
Baxter	hen
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/ɦen/
Pan Wuyun	/ɦen/
Shao Rongfen	/ɣɛn/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/ɦɛn/
Li Rong	/ɣen/
Wang Li	/ɣien/
Bernhard Karlgren	/ɣien/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	xián
Expected Cantonese Reflex	jin⁴

Old Chinese
(Baxter–Sagart): /*[g]ˤi[n]/

(Zhengzhang): /*ɡiːn/

Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character	賢
Reading #	1/1
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)	xián
Middle Chinese	‹ hen ›
Old Chinese	/*[g]ˁi[n]/
English	worthy
Notes for Old Chinese notations in the Baxter–Sagart system: * Parentheses "()" indicate uncertain presence; * Square brackets "[]" indicate uncertain identity, e.g. [t] as coda may in fact be -t or -p; Angle brackets "<>" indicate infix; * Hyphen "-" indicates morpheme boundary; * Period "." indicates syllable boundary.