现 (xiàn) — (time word) now, currently; (adjective) existing, current
Definition
现 (xiàn) as a noun typically appears in compounds (现金, 现房, 现阶段) meaning 'now / current / existing'. Used as a standalone noun on its own it sounds formal and clipped; learners will mainly meet it inside set words.
noun
(time word) nowcurrently
adjective
existingcurrent
Examples
- 。Zhè zhǒng qíng kuàng xiàn shí hěn cháng jiàn.This situation is now very common.
- 现。xiàn Fáng bǐ qī fáng guì dé duō.Existing houses are much more expensive than pre-sale houses.
- 。xiàn Jiē duàn de zhòng diǎn gōng zuò shì tí gāo zhì liàng.The key work at the current stage is to improve quality.
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 現; 现 is its simplified writing.
Sound part声符shēngfú
見
見jiàn現
Same sound today
The traditional form 現 pairs 玉 (jade) with 見 as a sound part; the simplified 现 is a shorthand, and its parts are not the historical parts.
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