饯 (jiàn): to give a farewell dinner

Meanings

明天他就要走了，大家为他饯行。

Míngtiān tā jiù yào zǒu le, dàjiā wèi tā jiànxíng.

Tomorrow he is leaving, and everyone is giving him a farewell dinner.

她为回老家的朋友设宴饯别。

Tā wèi huí lǎojiā de péngyou shè yàn jiànbié.

She held a farewell dinner for her friend who was returning home.

usage

Most common in 饯行 and 饯别, both meaning to host a farewell meal. A separate sense, candied fruit, survives in 蜜饯.

radical

饣 shí

food; eat

The food radical, a left-side form of 食. It marks this as something to do with eating, here a farewell meal sending someone off.

phonetic

戋 jiān

tiny; residue

Supplies the sound, 戋 shifting to jiàn. It carries no meaning here; it is the phonetic part shared with 钱 and 线.

饯 jiàn