Definition
咸 (xián) is an adjective meaning 'salty' — a taste, not a quantifier. The listed siblings (每, 各, 普遍, 各自, 广) all relate to 'each/every/widespread', which is a different, literary sense of 咸 that is not taught at HSK 4. For this level, focus only on the taste meaning.
adjective
salty
Easily confused
- 喊hǎnlook-aliketo shout; to yell; to call out (to someone)
- 先xiānsound-alikefirst, in advance, before others
- 减jiǎnlook-aliketo reduce, to decrease, to subtract
- 线xiànsound-alikethread; string; wire; line
- 感gǎnlook-alike(suffix) sense of ∼; feeling of ∼ (forms abstract nouns)
- 险xiǎnsound-alike(adjective) dangerous, perilous
- 献xiànsound-aliketo offer, to present (with respect, e.g. flowers, gifts, opinion)
- 陷xiànsound-aliketo sink into, to get stuck in (physical substance); to cave in
- 显xiǎnsound-alike(adjective) prominent, conspicuous, obvious
- 县xiànsound-alikecounty
Examples
- 咸，。Zhège cài tài xián le, wǒ chī bú xiàqù.This dish is too salty; I can't eat it.
- 咸。Wǒ bù xǐhuan chī tài xián de dōngxi.I don't like eating things that are too salty.
- ，咸。Qǐng shǎo fàng diǎn yán, bùrán huì tài xián.Please put less salt, otherwise it'll be too salty.
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