羡 (xiàn): to envy

Meanings

1 to envy
2 to admire

Characters

羡

xiàn

to envy; to admire

Examples

我真羡慕你环游世界。

Wǒ zhēn xiànmù nǐ huányóu shìjiè.

I really envy your travels around the world.

他们的幸福令人艳羡。

Tāmen de xìngfú lìng rén yànxiàn.

Their happiness is the envy of everyone.

Tips

usage

Almost always 羡慕 (to envy, to admire). The feeling is usually positive admiration, not the bitter jealousy of 嫉妒.

Components

radical

羊 yáng

sheep; goat

The sheep 羊 on top stands for something desirable. Sheep meant wealth and good things, so the character pictures longing for what others have.

semantic

次 cì

next; order; (here) drooling

The bottom element originally pictured a person with mouth watering. Combined with the sheep above, it forms the image of mouth-watering desire, hence "to envy."

Stroke Order

羡 xiàn

Related Words

羡慕 xiànmù HSK 7-9 #6,153

to envy / to admire

令人羡慕 lìngrén xiànmù #36,250

enviable / to make people envious / admirable / something to be envied

季羡林 Jìxiànlín

Ji Xianlin (1911-2009), Chinese linguist, Indologist, paleographer and translator, one of the last great Chinese scholars of Sanskrit and Tocharian

欣赏 xīnshǎng HSK 5 #2,012

to appreciate; to enjoy; to admire / to think highly of (a person)

赞美 zànměi HSK 7-9 #4,873

to praise / to admire / to eulogize

服 fú HSK 6 #2,400

clothes; clothing / to serve; to obey / to take (medicine) / to convince; to admire

嫉妒 jídù HSK 7-9 #2,208

to be jealous; to envy / jealousy

佩服 pèifú HSK 7-9 #7,221

to admire / to look up to

佩 pèi #7,761

to wear (at the waist, on the chest); to admire; to respect

妒忌 dùjì HSK 7-9 #8,295

to be jealous of; to envy