鉴 (jiàn): bronze mirror (used in ancient times), to reflect, to mirror
鉴 (jiàn) is a Chinese character meaning “bronze mirror (used in ancient times).” Classified as HSK Level 6 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 金 (semantic). It ranks #1643 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 鉴 metal. Its radical form 钅 (metal) appears in many related characters such as 钱 (qián, money), 错 (cuò, wrong, mistake), 钟 (zhōng, clock, bell).
Definitions
- bronze mirror (used in ancient times)
- to reflect
- to mirror
Etymology & Origin
pictophoneticmetal
Stroke Order
Practice writing 鉴 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
HSK Vocabulary with 鉴
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | HSK |
|---|---|---|---|
| 鉴定verb/noun | jiàn dìng | to examine sth to determine its authenticity, quality, value etc | 6 |
| 借鉴verb | jiè jiàn | to draw on (others' experience) | 6 |
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 鉴于preposition | jiàn yú | in view of |
| 年鉴 | nián jiàn | annual report |
| 鉴别verb | jiàn bié | to differentiate |
| 有鉴于此adverb | yǒu jiàn yú cǐ | in view of this |
| 前车之鉴phrase | qián chē zhī jiàn | (lit.) a warning taken from the overturned cart ahead (idiom) |
| 鉴赏verb | jiàn shǎng | to appreciate (as a connoisseur) |
| 鉴赏家noun | jiàn shǎng jiā | connoisseur |
| 图鉴noun | tú jiàn | illustrated handbook |
| 印鉴noun | yìn jiàn | seal impression |
| 以史为鉴phrase | yǐ shǐ wéi jiàn | to learn from history (idiom) |
| 国家文物鉴定委员会 | guó jiā wén wù jiàn dìng wěi yuán huì | National Commission for the Identification of Cultural Heritage |
| 亲子鉴定noun | qīn zǐ jiàn dìng | paternity or maternity test |
| 后车之鉴 | hòu chē zhī jiàn | lit. warning to the following cart (idiom) |
| 鉴往知来 | jiàn wǎng zhī lái | to observe the past to foresee the future (idiom, taken loosely from Book of Songs) |
| 德法年鉴 | dé fǎ nián jiàn | Deutsch-Französische Jahrbücher (published once in 1844 by Karl Marx and bourgeois radical Arnold Ruge) |
鉴 appears in 38 compound words: 42 as the first character, 47 as the last, and 11 in a middle position. Compound statistics computed from SUBTLEX-CH and HSK 3.0 vocabulary data.
Strongest Collocations
Characters that most frequently co-occur with 鉴 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (8)
previous experience of failure that serves as a lesson for oneself or others
to take history as a mirror; to draw lessons from history; to look to the past for guidance; to learn from history
previous experience of failure that serves as a lesson for oneself or others
to take history as a mirror; to draw lessons from history; to look to the past for guidance; to learn from history
Showing 6 of 8 idioms containing 鉴.
Example Sentences
这把鉴钥匙已经传承了三代人。
zhè bǎ jiàn yuè chí yǐ jīng chuán chéng le sān dài rén .
This key has been passed down through three generations.
公布!太原正规亲子鉴定收费标准(附2026年最新鉴定地址)
gōng bù ! tài yuán zhèng guī qīn zǐ jiàn dìng shōu fèi biāo zhǔn ( fù 2 0 2 6 nián zuì xīn jiàn dìng dì zhǐ )
Announced! Taiyuan formal paternity test fee standard (with the latest appraisal address in 2026)
新周刊!南宁做司法亲子鉴定的机构名单整理(附2026鉴定地址汇总...
xīn zhōu kān ! nán nìng zuò sī fǎ qīn zǐ jiàn dìng de jī gòu míng dān zhěng lǐ ( fù 2 0 2 6 jiàn dìng dì zhǐ huì zǒng . . .
New Weekly! List of institutions that do judicial paternity testing in Nanning (with a summary of 2026 appraisal addresses...
平常不对外公开!京都灵鉴寺“360年前雏人形x百种椿花”春季限定...
píng cháng bù duì wài gōng kāi ! jīng dōu líng jiàn sì 3 6 0 nián qián 雏 rén xíng x bǎi zhǒng 椿 huā chūn jì xiàn dìng . . .
Usually not open to the public! Kyoto Reikenji Temple "360 years ago Hina doll x 100 kinds of camellia flowers" spring limited...
富邦金控连续10年入选标普全球永续年鉴 2026年名列全球保险业前5%
fù bāng jīn kòng lián xù 1 0 nián rù xuǎn biāo pǔ quán qiú yǒng xù nián jiàn 2 0 2 6 nián míng liè quán qiú bǎo xiǎn yè qián 5
Fubon Financial Holdings has been selected in the S&P Global Sustainability Yearbook for 10 consecutive years and ranks among the top 5% of the global insurance industry in 2026
冰鉴春秋:还有人看不到台湾吗
bīng jiàn chūn qiū : hái yǒu rén kàn bù dào tái wān ma
Bing Jian Chunqiu: Is there anyone who can't see Taiwan?
他很有鉴赏古董的眼光。
Tā hěn yǒu jiànshǎng gǔdǒng de yǎnguāng.
He has an eye for antiques.
她对绘画有很好的鉴赏力。
Tā duì huìhuà yǒu hěn hǎo de jiànshǎnglì.
She's got a good eye for paintings.
经鉴定，此人三观不正。
Jīng jiàndìng, cǐ rén sān guān bù zhèng.
This person's worldview is officially unhealthy.
你可以在年鉴中找到月相的资讯。
Nǐ kěyǐ zài niánjiàn zhōng zhǎodào yuèxiàng de zīxùn.
In an almanac you can find information about the phases of the moon.
Character Family
Semantic Family — Characters sharing the 金 (metal) component
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 鉴 (jiàn) mean in Chinese?
How many strokes does 鉴 have?
What is the radical of 鉴?
What are the components of 鉴?
What are common words containing 鉴?
What characters sound the same as 鉴 (jiàn)?
Is 鉴 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
Practice writing 鉴 with real-time feedback
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