羡 xiàn to envy
to envy; to admire
How to remember 羡: 𦍌 sheep + 次 time = to envy. Seeing his neighbour's huge flock of sheep for the hundredth time, the small farmer begins to envy him a little more.
Component breakdown
羡 = 𦍌 sheep + 次 time
- 𦍌 sheep
- 次 time
- 冫 ice
- 欠 to lack
Seeing his neighbour's huge flock of sheep for the hundredth time, the small farmer begins to envy him a little more.
How it is used
- Bound morpheme that lives almost entirely in 羡慕 (xiànmù) - to envy/admire in a wistful, non-hostile way.
- 羡慕 is friendly envy ('I wish I had that too'), unlike 嫉妒 (jídù) which is bitter jealousy: 我很羡慕你能出国 (wǒ hěn xiànmù nǐ néng chūguó) I envy that you can go abroad.
- Learn it as the pair 羡慕; 羡 rarely appears alone.
Words with 羡
Example sentences
- 她很羡慕好朋友的幸福婚姻。 Tā hěn xiànmù hǎo péngyou de xìngfú hūnyīn.She admires/envies her good friend's happy marriage.