谚 (yàn): proverb
谚 (yàn) is a Chinese character meaning “proverb.” Outside the HSK 3.0 syllabus (CLEC 2022), it is composed of 讠 (structural) and 彦 (structural). It ranks #3304 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 谚 elegant 彦 words 讠; 彦 also provides the pronunciation. Its radical form 讠 (speech) appears in many related characters such as 话 (huà, speech, words), 说 (shuō, to speak, to say), 请 (qǐng, please, to invite).
Definitions
- proverb
Etymology & Origin
ideographicElegant 彦 words 讠; 彦 also provides the pronunciation
Decomposition: ⿰讠彦 (layout: left-right)
Stroke Order
Practice writing 谚 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 谚语noun | yàn yǔ | proverb |
| 民谚noun | mín yàn | folk saying |
| 古谚noun | gǔ yàn | ancient proverb |
| 里谚 | lǐ yàn | common saying |
| 谚文noun | yàn wén | hangul, Korean phonetic alphabet |
| 农谚noun | nóng yàn | farmers' saying |
| 俗谚口碑 | sú yàn kǒu bēi | common sayings (idiom) |
| 俗谚noun | sú yàn | common saying |
| 俚谚 | lǐ yàn | common saying |
谚 appears in 9 compound words: 22 as the first character, 67 as the last, and 11 in a middle position. Compound statistics computed from SUBTLEX-CH and HSK 3.0 vocabulary data.
Example Sentences
学习谚字需要反复练习，才能写得工整。
xué xí yàn zì xū yāo fǎn fù liàn xí , cái néng xiě dé gōng zhěng .
Learning to write the character "谚" requires repeated practice to ensure it is written neatly.
“大暑清补，秋来无苦” 读懂谚语中隐藏的科学密码
dà shǔ qīng bǔ , qiū lái wú kǔ dòu dǒng yàn yǔ zhōng yǐn zàng de kē xué mì mǎ
“Nourish Your Body Gently During the Great Heat, and You’ll Be Free of Suffering in the Fall”: Unraveling the Scientific Secrets Hidden in This Proverb
她表示，这句谚语的经验依据在于立秋后剩余伏天的时间长短。
tā biǎo shì , zhè jù yàn yǔ de jīng yàn yī jù zài yú lì qiū hòu shèng yú fú tiān de shí jiān cháng duǎn .
She explained that the empirical basis for this proverb lies in the length of the remaining "dog days" after the Start of Autumn.
“芒种忙，下晚秧” 解锁民谚里的科学密码
máng zhǒng máng , xià wǎn yāng jiě suǒ mín yàn lǐ de kē xué mì mǎ
“Busy during the Grain in Ear Festival, plant the late rice seedlings” — Unlocking the Scientific Secrets Hidden in Folk Proverbs
“清明前后,种瓜点豆” 解锁清明民谚里的科学密码-国际在线
qīng míng qián hòu , zhǒng guā diǎn dòu jiě suǒ qīng míng mín yàn lǐ de kē xué mì mǎ guó jì zài xiàn
“Around Qingming, plant melons and beans”: Unlocking the scientific secrets behind Qingming proverbs - China Radio International
Character Family
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 谚 (yàn) mean in Chinese?
How many strokes does 谚 have?
What is the radical of 谚?
What are the components of 谚?
What are common words containing 谚?
Is 谚 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
Practice writing 谚 with real-time feedback
Trace stroke sequences, hear spoken pronunciation, and build lasting retention with spaced repetition in the HanziFeed app.