羡 (xiàn): to envy

Meanings

1 to envy
2 to admire

Characters

羡

xiàn

to envy; to admire

Examples

HSK 5

他们的幸福令人艳羡。

Tāmen de xìngfú lìng rén yànxiàn.

Their happiness is the envy of everyone.

HSK 7-9

我真羡慕你环游世界。

Wǒ zhēn xiànmù nǐ huányóu shìjiè.

I really envy your travels around the world.

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