湔 (jiān): to wash; to rinse

Meanings

1 to wash; to rinse
2 to wipe clean; to clear (a wrong, a disgrace)

Characters

湔

jiān

to wash; to clear (a wrong)

Examples

他发誓要湔雪这份耻辱。

Tā fāshì yào jiān xuě zhè fèn chǐrǔ.

He vowed to clear away this shame.

在溪水里湔洗脏布。

Zài xīshuǐ lǐ jiān xǐ zāng bù.

Rinse the dirty cloth in the stream.

Tips

usage

湔 is literary. Beyond the plain 'to wash', its strong sense is figurative: 湔雪 ('to wash away' a disgrace or false charge), like English 'to clear one's name'.

Components

radical

氵 shuǐ

water

氵 is the three-drop water radical, the left-side form of 水. It marks 湔 as an act done with water, here washing.

phonetic

前 qián

front; before

前 gives the sound, shifted from qián to jiān. It carries no meaning here, serving purely as the phonetic beside the water radical.

Stroke Order

湔 jiān

Related Words

湔雪 jiānxuě

to wipe away (a humiliation) / to redress (a wrong) / to clear (one's name)

清洗 qīngxǐ HSK 6 #5,448

to wash; to rinse; to clean / to purge (figurative)

清 qīng HSK 6 #1,055

clear; pure; clean / to clean up; to settle

洗洗 xǐxi #7,976

to have a quick wash; to give something a wash / to wash up (casual/light action)

清洁 qīngjié HSK 6 #4,803

clean; sanitary / to clean; to cleanse

朗 lǎng #4,037

clear / bright / loud and clear

明确 míngquè HSK 3 #3,762

clear; definite; explicit / to make clear; to clarify

清理 qīnglǐ HSK 5 #2,118

to clear up; to tidy up; to clean out / to sort through; to put in order

清醒 qīngxǐng HSK 4 #2,064

clear-headed; sober; awake / to become clear-headed; to come to one's senses

澄清 chéngqīng HSK 7-9 #6,909

to clarify / to clear up (misunderstanding) / clear (of liquid)