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賢
On'yomi
ケン
KEN
Kun'yomi
かしこ.い
kashikoi
intelligent · wise · wisdom · cleverness
wisdom
Details
Strokes16
Frequency#1159
Radical貝shell(7)
Stroke Order
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Strokes16
Component Breakdown
賢=
臤貝
臤 + shell
Cultural Context
Etymology
Composed of hard and shell. Wise like hard shell.
Symbolism
Wise, sage, wisdom. Represents wisdom.
Spiritual Meaning
The ideal personality combining wisdom and virtue. In Confucianism, a "wise person" ranks below a sage but guides people through practical wisdom.
Words & Expressions
Four-Character Compounds
良妻賢母
りょうさいけんぼ
good wife and wise mother; good wife and wise mother
竹林七賢
ちくりんのしちけん
Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove; group of 3rd-century Qingtan scholars, writers, and musicians; Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove
賢良方正
けんりょうほうせい
wise and virtuous; good and able men; wise and virtuous
Proverbs & Idioms
賢しらの愚
さかしらのぐ
The folly of the clever
Being too clever for your own good