xiān
noun

Meanings

  1. 1 the deity of Zoroastrianism (used mainly in 祆教)

Examples

HSK 7-9
Xiānjiào zài Tángdài yán Sīchóu Zhī Lù chuánrù Zhōngguó.
Zoroastrianism spread into China along the Silk Road during the Tang dynasty.

Tips

history
is not used independently in modern Chinese; it occurs only in 祆教 (Zoroastrianism) and 祆庙 (a fire temple). It was coined for this foreign religion by combining the spirit/altar radical with (heaven), which also supplies the sound.
mistakes
Do not confuse (right side , a religion term) with ('lined jacket', clothing radical) - they look alike but are unrelated.

Components

radical
shì
spirit; altar; worship
The left-side worship radical (the side form of ) marks this as something sacred or religious - here a foreign faith.
phonetic
tiān
heaven; sky
Supplies the sound (reading shifted from tiān to xiān) and hints at the meaning: a heaven-worshipping religion centered on the sky-god.

Stroke Order

xiān