寒蟬

Chinese

		cold; poor; to tremble	cicada
trad. (寒蟬)		寒	蟬
simp. (寒蝉)		寒	蝉

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): hánchán

  (Zhuyin): ㄏㄢˊ ㄔㄢˊ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): hon⁴ sim⁴

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: hánchán
    • Zhuyin: ㄏㄢˊ ㄔㄢˊ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: hánchán
    • Wade–Giles: han²-chʻan²
    • Yale: hán-chán
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: harncharn
    • Palladius: ханьчань (xanʹčanʹ)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /xän³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʰän³⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: hon⁴ sim⁴
    • Yale: hòhn sìhm
    • Cantonese Pinyin: hon⁴ sim⁴
    • Guangdong Romanization: hon⁴ xim⁴
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /hɔːn²¹ siːm²¹/

Noun

寒蟬

1. (literally) cicada in winter
2. (literary) a kind of cicada that is small in size and bluegreen-red in colour
3. (literary, figurative) one who stays silent

   • 劉勝位為大夫，見禮上賓，而知善不薦，聞惡無言，隱情惜己，自同寒蟬，此罪人也。 [Literary Chinese, trad.]
     刘胜位为大夫，见礼上宾，而知善不荐，闻恶无言，隐情惜己，自同寒蝉，此罪人也。 [Literary Chinese, simp.]

     From: The Book of the Later Han, circa 5^th century CE

     Liú Shèng wèiwéi dàfū, jiànlǐ shàngbīn, ér zhīshàn bùjiàn, wén'è wúyán, yǐnqíng xījǐ, zìtóng hánchán, cǐ zuìrén yě. [Pinyin]

     Liu Sheng ranks as a dafu (great official) and is received as the guest of honour everywhere; yet he fails to promote the virtuous persons he meets; he fails to speak against the evil he witnesses; he buries the truth, unwilling to risk himself; he chooses to be as silent as a chilled cicada. We have a guilty man in him.

Derived terms

• 仗馬寒蟬 / 仗马寒蝉
• 噤若寒蟬 / 噤若寒蝉 (jìnruòhánchán)
• 寒蟬仗馬 / 寒蝉仗马
• 寒蟬僵鳥 / 寒蝉僵鸟
• 寒蟬效應 / 寒蝉效应 (hánchán xiàoyìng)
• 自同寒蟬 / 自同寒蝉