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娴

嫻
xián
adjective #49,622

Meanings

  1. 1 refined
  2. 2 elegant (of a woman's manner)
  3. 3 skilled
  4. 4 well-versed

Examples

她举止娴雅，令人印象深刻。
Tā jǔzhǐ xiányǎ, lìng rén yìnxiàng shēnkè.
Her bearing was refined and elegant — very impressive.
他对外语相当娴熟。
Tā duì wàiyǔ xiāngdāng xiánshú.
He is quite skilled in foreign languages.

Tips

usage
Two distinct senses: (1) refined/demure, almost always describing women — 娴雅 (xiányǎ, elegant), 娴静 (xiánjìng, demure); (2) practiced/skilled — 娴熟 (xiánshú, adept), 娴习 (xiánxí, well-versed).
memory
Built from 女 (woman) + 闲 (xián, leisure). The 'elegant' sense fits a poised lady at leisure; the phonetic component 闲 cues the reading.

Stroke Order

娴 xián