敛 (liǎn) — to collect, gather, or accumulate; to restrain, hold back, or rein in
Definition
A bound, written-style verb that always pairs with another character (e.g. 收敛 restrain, 聚敛 accumulate). On its own it is never used as a standalone word.
bound form
to collectgatheror accumulateto restrainhold backor rein in
Examples
- ，。Tā zuì jìn xíng wéi yǒu suǒ shōu liǎn, bú zài nà me zhāng yáng le.He has recently restrained his behavior and is no longer so flamboyant.
- ，。Guān yuán lì yòng zhí quán liǎn cái, zuì zhōng shòu dào le fǎ lǜ de zhì cái.The official used his power to accumulate wealth and was eventually punished by law.
- ，敛，。Tīng dào zhè ge xiāo xi, tā liǎn róng zhèng sè, chén mò bù yǔ.Upon hearing the news, he assumed a serious expression and remained silent.
Origin
Sound + meaning六书liùshū
形声xíngshēngMost characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.
This origin belongs to the traditional form 斂; 敛 is its simplified writing.
Meaning part形符xíngfú
攴攴pū
Sound part声符shēngfú
僉
僉qiān斂
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.
The traditional form 斂 is built from 攴, a part tied to the meaning, and 僉, a part giving the sound; the simplified 敛 is a later shorthand, so its parts are not the original pieces.
Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.