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險

简险 · 繁險

Mandarin · pinyin xiǎn

danger
dangerous
rugged

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險: Look up this written character
险: xiǎn · narrow pass, strategic point

Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

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Mandarin tones

3 · xian3

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1character link34same-tone records

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Read this spelling in Classical texts

Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.

險 · find source passages ↗ · 险 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 7 senses · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

him2

Cantonese word readings for 險. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

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Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

character

(of terrain) difficult and treacherous
(now in compounds) narrow pass; treacherous place; strategic point
(now dialectal or in compounds) danger; hazard; peril; risk
dangerous; hazardous
(now dialectal or in compounds) sinister; vicious
(of bad things) almost; nearly
(in compounds) short for 保險／保险 (bǎoxiǎn, “insurance”)

Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history

Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source & license · Data pack