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谏

諫
jiàn
verb #72,189

Meanings

  1. 1 to remonstrate; to admonish (a superior)
  2. 2 to advise against; to urge to reconsider

Examples

忠臣多次进谏皇帝。
Zhōngchén duōcì jìnjiàn huángdì.
The loyal minister repeatedly admonished the emperor.
忠言逆耳，良谏利行。
Zhōngyán nì'ěr, liáng jiàn lì xíng.
Honest advice grates on the ear but benefits one's conduct.

Tips

history
谏 specifically means a subordinate frankly correcting a ruler or elder. Imperial courts had a 谏官 (jiànguān), an official whose job was to criticize the emperor. The phrase 从谏如流 (cóngjiànrúliú) praises a ruler who takes advice as readily as water flows.

Components

radical
讠 jiǎnyán
speech; words
The side speech radical 讠 (a left form of 言, speech) marks this as a kind of speaking: frank words of advice or criticism.
phonetic
柬 jiǎn
to select (phonetic)
柬 (jiǎn, to select) gives the sound, lightly shifted to jiàn. Its sense of choosing carefully also suits picking the right words to advise a ruler.

Stroke Order

谏 jiàn