潜 (qián): hidden, secret, latent
潜 (qián) is a Chinese character meaning “hidden.” Classified as HSK Level 6 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 氵 (semantic) and 替 (phonetic). It ranks #1111 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 潜 water. Its radical form 氵 (water) appears in many related characters such as 水 (shuǐ, water), 汉 (hàn, Han ethnic group), 汽 (qì, steam).
Definitions
- hidden
- secret
- latent
Etymology & Origin
Stroke Order
Practice writing 潜 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
HSK Vocabulary with 潜
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 潜水 | qián shuǐ | to dive |
| 潜在 | qián zài | hidden |
| 潜艇 | qián tǐng | a submarine |
| 潜入 | qián rù | to submerge |
| 潜意识 | qián yì shí | unconscious mind |
| 潜质 | qián zhì | potential |
| 潜逃 | qián táo | to abscond |
| 潜伏 | qián fú | to hide |
| 潜水员 | qián shuǐ yuán | diver |
| 潜能 | qián néng | potential |
| 潜水艇 | qián shuǐ tǐng | a submarine |
| 潜台词 | qián tái cí | unspoken dialogue in a play, left for the audience to infer |
| 潜藏 | qián cáng | hidden beneath the surface |
| 潜水衣 | qián shuǐ yī | diving suit |
| 潜心 | qián xīn | to concentrate fully on sth |
潜 appears in 72 compound words: 68 as the first character, 7 as the last, and 25 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 潜 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (4)
Example Sentences
站在桥上望去,潜水缓缓向东流去。
zhàn zài qiáo shǎng wàng qù , qián shuǐ huǎn huǎn xiàng dōng liú qù .
Standing on the bridge, the river flows slowly eastward.
...(01910.HK)美国双重上市估值重估潜力遭忽略 评级“买入”
. . . ( 0 1 9 1 0 . H K ) měi guó shuāng chóng shàng shì gū zhí chóng gū qián lì zāo hū lüè píng jí mǎi rù
... (01910.HK) The valuation revaluation potential of the US dual listing is ignored, and the rating is "buy"
辉达进驻北士科!渣打看好高资产潜力 天母将设国际私人理财中心
huī dá jìn zhù běi shì kē ! zhā dǎ kàn hǎo gāo zī chǎn qián lì tiān mǔ jiāng shè guó jì sī rén lǐ cái zhōng xīn
Huida enters Beishike! Standard Chartered is optimistic about the potential of high assets Tianmu will set up an international private wealth management center
【推进AUKUS计画】澳采购英潜舰核反应炉零组件
tuī jìn A U K U S jì huà ào cǎi gòu yīng qián jiàn hé fǎn yīng lú líng zǔ jiàn
【Promoting the AUKUS Project】Australia procures components for the nuclear reactor of British submarines
...C”画面爆回响 与李海铜“暖心闺密”获封潜力 CP
. . . C huà miàn bào huí xiǎng yǔ lǐ hǎi tóng nuǎn xīn guī mì huò fēng qián lì C P
... C" picture exploded with reverberation, and Li Haitong's "heart-warming girlfriend" was awarded potential CP
潜入国小偷拍女童如厕判7年2月 恶男二审刑...
qián rù guó xiǎo tōu pāi nǚ tóng rú cè pàn 7 nián 2 yuè è nán èr shěn xíng . . .
Infiltrated the elementary school to secretly photograph a girl going to the toilet and was sentenced to 7 years and 2 years, and the evil man was sentenced to the second trial...
你曾试过用水肺潜水吗?
Nǐ céng shì guo yòng shuǐfèi qiánshuǐ ma?
Have you ever tried scuba diving?
要解开谋杀背后潜藏之谜!
Yào jiěkāi móushā bèihòu qiáncáng zhī mí!
Solve the mystery lurking behind the murder!
我认为,你已经完全具备了潜伏的资质。
Wǒ rènwéi, nǐ yǐjīng wánquán jùbèi le qiánfú de zīzhì.
I believe you already possess all the qualities needed to go undercover.
他潜进水里,然后又浮上水来换气。
Tā qiánjìn Shuǐlǐ, ránhòu yòu fúshàng shuǐ lái huànqì.
He dived into the water and came up for air.
Character Family
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 潜 (qián) mean in Chinese?
How many strokes does 潜 have?
What is the radical of 潜?
What are the components of 潜?
What are common words containing 潜?
What characters sound the same as 潜 (qián)?
Is 潜 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
Practice writing 潜 with real-time feedback
Trace stroke sequences, hear native pronunciation, and build lasting retention with spaced repetition in the HanziFeed app.