险 (xiǎn): danger, dangerous, rugged
险 (xiǎn) is a Chinese character meaning “danger.” Classified as HSK Level 4 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 阝 (semantic) and 佥 (phonetic). It ranks #672 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 险 hill. Its radical form 阝 (mound) appears in many related characters such as 那 (nà, (specifier) that), 都 (dōu, all), 院 (yuàn, courtyard).
Definitions
- danger
- dangerous
- rugged
Etymology & Origin
Stroke Order
Practice writing 险 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
HSK Vocabulary with 险
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | HSK |
|---|---|---|---|
| 危险adjective/noun | wēi xiǎn | danger | 4 |
| 冒险verb | mào xiǎn | to take risks | 6 |
| 保险noun/adjective | bǎo xiǎn | insurance | 5 |
| 风险noun | fēng xiǎn | risk | 5 |
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 保险箱noun | bǎo xiǎn xiāng | safe deposit box |
| 探险verb | tàn xiǎn | to explore |
| 保险柜noun | bǎo xiǎn guì | a safe |
| 险境noun | xiǎn jìng | critical circumstances |
| 阴险adjective | yīn xiǎn | treacherous |
| 历险verb | lì xiǎn | to experience adventures |
| 惊险adjective | jīng xiǎn | perilous |
| 人寿保险noun | rén shòu bǎo xiǎn | life insurance |
| 保险杠noun | bǎo xiǎn gàng | car bumper |
| 保险丝noun | bǎo xiǎn sī | fuse wire |
| 险恶adjective | xiǎn è | dangerous |
| 探险家 | tàn xiǎn jiā | explorer |
| 冒险家noun | mào xiǎn jiā | adventurer |
| 险些adverb | xiǎn xiē | narrowly |
| 铤而走险phrase | tǐng ér zǒu xiǎn | (idiom) to take a risk out of desperation |
险 appears in 100 compound words: 17 as the first character, 52 as the last, and 31 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 险 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (12)
to have had only frightening moments but no dangers; to be successful at the end though having encountered obstacles
to have had only frightening moments but no dangers; to be successful at the end though having encountered obstacles
Showing 11 of 12 idioms containing 险.
Example Sentences
投资有风险，入市需谨慎，不要盲目跟风。
Tóuzī yǒu fēngxiǎn, tóuzī zhě xū jǐnshèn, bùyào mángmù gēnfēng.
Investment involves risks; investors must be cautious and not blindly follow trends.
每天喝咖啡和茶 失智风险最高降三成
měi tiān hē kā fēi hé chá shī zhì fēng xiǎn zuì gāo jiàng sān chéng
Daily coffee and tea consumption may reduce dementia risk by up to 30%.
睡觉太亮恐影响健康?医点名3类人风险高
shuì jué tài liàng kǒng yǐng xiǎng jiàn kāng ? yī diǎn míng lèi rén fēng xiǎn gāo
Sleeping in Bright Light May Harm Your Health? Doctors Identify 3 High-Risk Groups
到底有多正?男大生载到班花夜冲险猝死
dào de yǒu duō zhèng ? nán dà shēng zài dào bān huā yè chōng xiǎn 猝 sǐ
How good is it? The male college student died suddenly at night in class
斗湖1小时豪雨引发大水患 轿车险灭顶多路中断
dǒu hú xiǎo shí háo yǔ yǐn fā dà shuǐ huàn jiào chē xiǎn miè dǐng duō lù zhōng duàn
One hour of heavy rain in Tohu triggers major flooding, cars nearly destroyed and many roads disrupted.
...防开展防火专项行动:踏查重点林区,对高火险区..
. . . fáng kāi zhǎn fáng huǒ zhuān xiàng háng dòng tà chá chóng diǎn lín qū , duì gāo huǒ xiǎn qū . .
Launch a special fire prevention campaign: Conduct field surveys of key forest areas and implement measures in high-risk zones...
谁来为风险投资提供资金？
Shéi lái wèi fēngxiǎn tóuzī tígōng zījīn?
Who will provide capital for the venture?
汤姆有医疗保险吗？
Tāngmǔ yǒu yīliáobǎoxiǎn ma?
Does Tom have health insurance?
年轻人骑摩托车可能会很危险。
Niánqīngrén qí mótuōchē kěnéng huì hěn wēixiǎn.
It can be dangerous for young people to ride motorcycles.
汤姆一打开电视，保险丝就烧了。
Tāngmǔ yī dǎkāi diànshì, bǎoxiǎnsī jiù shāo le.
No sooner had Tom turned on the TV than the fuse blew.
Character Family
Homophones — Characters pronounced xiǎn
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 险 (xiǎn) mean in Chinese?
What's the difference between 险 and 验?
How many strokes does 险 have?
What is the radical of 险?
What are the components of 险?
What are common words containing 险?
What characters sound the same as 险 (xiǎn)?
Is 险 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
Practice writing 险 with real-time feedback
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