羡 (xiàn): to envy
羡 (xiàn) is a Chinese character meaning “to envy.” Classified as HSK Level 4 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 羊 (structural) and 次 (structural). It ranks #2589 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 羡 someone who has a whole row 次 of sheep 羊. Its radical form 羊 (sheep) appears in many related characters such as 羊 (yáng, sheep), 美 (měi, (bound form) the Americas (abbr. for 美洲)), 群 (qún, group).
Definitions
- to envy
Etymology & Origin
ideographicSomeone who has a whole row 次 of sheep 羊
Decomposition: ⿱羊次 (layout: top-bottom)
Stroke Order
Practice writing 羡 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
HSK Vocabulary with 羡
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 惊羡 | jīng xiàn | to marvel at |
| 艳羡verb | yàn xiàn | (literary) to admire |
| 临渊羡鱼，不如退而结网 | lín yuān xiàn yú , bù rú tuì ér jié wǎng | better to go home and weave a net than to stand by the pond longing for fish (idiom) |
| 让人羡慕 | ràng rén xiàn mù | enviable |
| 临河羡鱼 | lín hé xiàn yú | see 臨淵羨魚，不如退而結網|临渊羡鱼，不如退而结网 |
| 心羡 | xīn xiàn | to admire |
| 季羡林 | jì xiàn lín | Ji Xianlin (1911-2009), Chinese linguist and Indologist |
| 临川羡鱼 | lín chuān xiàn yú | see 臨淵羨魚，不如退而結網|临渊羡鱼，不如退而结网 |
| 奇羡 | jī xiàn | surplus |
| 临渊羡鱼phrase | lín yuān xiàn yú | see 臨淵羨魚，不如退而結網|临渊羡鱼，不如退而结网 |
| 倾羡 | qīng xiàn | to admire |
| 羡慕嫉妒恨verb | xiàn mù jí dù hèn | to be green with envy (neologism c. 2009) |
| 忌羡 | jì xiàn | to envy |
| 钦羡verb | qīn xiàn | to admire |
羡 appears in 15 compound words: 13 as the first character, 47 as the last, and 40 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 羡 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (3)
Example Sentences
羡慕他人，不如提升自己。
Xiànmù tārén, bùrú tíshēng zìjǐ.
Rather than envying others, improve yourself.
不羡鸳鸯只羡仙——读《柳毅传》
bù xiàn 鸳 鸯 zhī xiàn xiān dòu liǔ yì chuán
Don't envy the mandarin ducks, only envy the immortal - read "The Biography of Liu Yi"
羡慕善于社交的同事,总是想改变自己?你只是...
xiàn mù shàn yú shè jiāo de tóng shì , zǒng shì xiǎng gǎi biàn zì jǐ ? nǐ zhī shì . . .
Do you envy your socially adept coworkers and constantly wish to change yourself? You're just...
...B/金慧成春训首秀灌3打点!皮肤好到球迷羡慕 搞笑曝护肤祕诀
. . . jīn huì chéng chūn xùn shǒu xiù guàn dǎ diǎn ! pí fū hǎo dào qiú mí xiàn mù gǎo xiào pù hù fū 祕 jué
B/Kim Hye-sung Delivers 3 RBIs in Spring Training Debut! Fans Envy Her Flawless Skin as She Hilariously Reveals Skincare Secrets
台中市长初选,李四川合体拉抬他?被问羡慕新北整合吗,江启臣曝内心愿望
tái zhōng shì cháng chū xuǎn , lǐ sì chuān gě tǐ lā tái tā ? bèi wèn xiàn mù xīn běi zhěng gě ma , jiāng qǐ chén pù nèi xīn yuàn wàng
Taichung mayoral primary: Is Li Sichuan teaming up to boost his chances? When asked if he envies New Taipei's unity, Jiang Qichen reveals his inner wish.
...己一个人出过门” 12条家规看哭网友:超羡慕
. . . jǐ yī gè rén chū guò mén tiáo jiā guī kàn kū wǎng yǒu chāo xiàn mù
"I've never gone out alone" — 12 household rules that moved netizens to tears: "So envious"
你们家去北海道旅游是真的么？我羡慕你。
Nǐmen jiā qù Běihǎidào lǚyóu shì zhēn de me? wǒ xiànmù nǐ.
Is it true that your family will travel in Hokkaido? I envy you.
我一点也不羡慕你的生活。
Wǒ yīdiǎn yě bù xiànmù nǐ de shēnghuó.
I don't envy your life. Not even a little bit.
他们都羡慕我的新车。
Tāmen dōu xiànmù wǒ de xīn chē.
They all envied my new car.
Character Family
羊 Radical Family — Characters sharing the sheep radical
Frequently Asked Questions
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Is 羡 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
Practice writing 羡 with real-time feedback
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