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泫 — pronunciations, definitions, and tags
HanziPinyinEnglishTags
泫xuànto weep, to cry; to shine, to glistenzg, 8 strokes, radical 氵
泫xuànweepunknown, 8 strokes, radical 氵
xuàn(xuan4) T4
  1. 1to weep, to cry; to shine, to glisten
  2. 2weep
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March 24, 2026

泫xuàn(xuan4)

泫 (xuàn) primarily means 'to weep' or 'to cry,' often conveying a sense of deep emotion or sorrow. It is commonly used in literary contexts to describe someone shedding tears or expressing sadness. Additionally, it can imply a glistening or shining quality, likening tears to shimmering droplets.

Strokes8Radical氵
Cultural Note

In Chinese literature, tears are often depicted as symbols of love, loss, or nostalgia, making 泫 a character that resonates deeply with cultural expressions of emotion. It is frequently used in poetry to illustrate profound sadness or longing.

Memory Tip

Imagine a person crying so hard that their tears sparkle like dew on grass in the morning sun. The character 泫 combines the water radical 氵, suggesting emotion and tears, with the phonetic component 亘, which sounds like 'xuan' and can remind you of something shining or glistening.

Meanings of 泫

xuàn(xuan4)
1to weep, to cry; to shine, to glisten
2weep
Exercise 1 of 2

Listen & Choose the Meaning

Choose the correct answer:

About 泫

泫Simplified
8Strokes
氵Radical
状态词stative word (stat.)Part of Speech
#—Frequency Rank

Podcast: 泫

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Podcast: 泫

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AI Study Notes for 泫

Quick Contrast

泪 (lèi, tears) - use 泫 when emphasizing the act of crying or weeping, while 泪 specifically refers to the tears themselves.

Usage Notes

泫 is more formal and literary compared to other words for 'crying.' Be careful not to confuse it with 哭 (kū), which is more commonly used in everyday conversation. It's often found in poems or songs to evoke deeper emotional expressions.

HSK Study Tips

Although 泫 is not part of the HSK vocabulary, it connects with other emotional words like 哭 (kū) and 哀 (āi). Students should focus on the emotional nuances of such words to enhance their expressive capabilities in Mandarin.

Common Mistakes

Learners often confuse 泫 with more common verbs like 哭 (kū), which is used in everyday contexts. For example, saying '我泫了' (wǒ xuàn le) instead of '我哭了' (wǒ kū le) would be unusual in casual conversation.

AI-enhanced 2026-03-24

Pronunciation of 泫

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Etymology of 泫

Formation Typepictophonetic
六书 ClassificationPhono-semantic (形声字)~80-90% of characters
Memory Hint

water

Semantic (meaning)氵
+
Phonetic (sound)玄
Learn more about Phono-semantic (形声字) characters

Jason Etymology Detective

Case file: 泫

  1. 1The meaning half氵 carries the sense.
  2. 2The sound half玄 is there for the reading, not the meaning.
  3. 3The giveawaywater
  4. 4On the record aspictophonetic.

Every clue here comes from the character's recorded structure — nothing is guessed.

Want the full history of 泫? Jason searches the paleographic record, weighs the competing accounts and judges the popular story.

Charged once for this character — everyone reads it afterwards.
Exercise 1 of 1

Character Formation Type

What type of character formation is 泫?

Decomposition of 泫

IDS Structure⿰氵玄
泫Full Character
=
氵shui3
left
玄xuan2
right
Exercise 1 of 2

Identify the Components

Which of these is a component of 泫?

How to say to weep, to cry; to shine, to glisten in Chinese

“to weep, to cry; to shine, to glisten” in Chinese is泫xuàn

泫 (xuàn) primarily means 'to weep' or 'to cry,' often conveying a sense of deep emotion or sorrow. It is commonly used in literary contexts to describe someone shedding tears or expressing sadness. Additionally, it can imply a glistening or shining quality, likening tears to shimmering droplets.

When to use 泫

泫 is more formal and literary compared to other words for 'crying.' Be careful not to confuse it with 哭 (kū), which is more commonly used in everyday conversation. It's often found in poems or songs to evoke deeper emotional expressions.

泫 or something close to it

泪 (lèi, tears) - use 泫 when emphasizing the act of crying or weeping, while 泪 specifically refers to the tears themselves.

What learners get wrong

Learners often confuse 泫 with more common verbs like 哭 (kū), which is used in everyday contexts. For example, saying '我泫了' (wǒ xuàn le) instead of '我哭了' (wǒ kū le) would be unusual in casual conversation.

Write 泫

泫

Practice writing 泫 stroke by stroke. Watch the animation to learn the stroke order, then try writing it yourself.

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Word Family of 泫

Words Containing This Character1
泫xuànweep
Exercise 1 of 1

Compound Meaning

What does 泫 mean?

Frequently Asked Questions about 泫

No, 泫 is more commonly found in literary contexts rather than everyday speech.

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