Definition
陈 has multiple meanings. As a stative verb, it describes something that is old, stale, or aged — used for wine (mellowed over time), food that's past fresh, or ideas that are outdated. It is also a very common Chinese surname (Chen) and refers to the Chen Dynasty (557–589). The verb senses 'lay out, state, explain' are less common as standalone uses and appear mainly in formal compounds like 陈述.
s.v.
oldstaleaged (of wine or food)
Examples
- 陈,。Zhè píng hóngjiǔ shì chén niàng, wèidào fēicháng hǎo.This bottle of red wine is aged and tastes great.
- ,。Zhèxiē shíwù yǐjīng chén fǔ le, bù néng chī le.These food items have gone stale and can't be eaten.
- ,。Zhè tán jiǔ shì chén nián de, hē qǐlái hěn chúnhòu.This jar of wine is aged and tastes very mellow.
Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.