詹 (Zhān): Zhan (surname)

Meanings

1 Zhan (surname)

Characters

詹

zhān

surname Zhan; verbose (literary)

Examples

詹先生是我的邻居。

Zhān xiānsheng shì wǒ de línjū.

Mr. Zhan is my neighbor.

你认识姓詹的人吗？

Nǐ rènshi xìng Zhān de rén ma?

Do you know anyone with the surname Zhan?

Tips

culture

詹 is a relatively uncommon Chinese surname. Famous bearers include 詹天佑 (Zhān Tiānyòu), the father of Chinese railways.

Components

radical

言 yán

speech; word

Speech radical at the bottom, the indexing radical. It files 詹 in the talking section with 说 say, 语 language, 论 discuss. The original sense was 'verbose, talkative speech from a high place' — and although the surname use has eclipsed that, the radical still hints at the old meaning.

semantic

厃 wēi

person on a cliff edge (here a graphic top)

Top portion is a fused 4-stroke graph — the クノ-shape over 厂 cliff — historically picturing someone leaning over a precipice to look down. Standalone 厃 has 4 strokes, matching the assigned range. The 'looking down from on high' image gave 詹 its classical sense of verbose pronouncement from above.

semantic

八 bā

eight; to divide (here graphic)

Two diverging strokes under the cliff-figure, separating the upper graphic from the speech radical below. Treat it as a graphic divider rather than 'eight' — its function here is positional, marking the split between the looking figure and the words being uttered.