闲

閒
xián
#1,527 most
frequent character
not busy, idle, unoccupied, leisure
adjective

Character breakdown

Source: Make Me a Hanzi.

闲 shows 门 a door and 木 a tree, so it first meant fencing around a door. That grew to enclosure. The sense leisure or free time was borrowed only for the sound. From there it came to mean not busy or idle.

闲 as a component in other characters

sound3 characters
娴痫鹇

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Example Sentences

我今天很闲，可以和你一起去玩。
wǒ jīntiān hěn xián ， kěyǐ hé nǐ yīqǐqù wán 。
I am very free today and can play with you.
他在家闲着，没什么事情可做。
tāzài jiā xián zháo ， méishénme shìqíng kě zuò 。
He is idly staying at home, with nothing to do.
在闲暇时间，我喜欢读书和看电影。
zài xiánxiá shíjiān ， wǒ xǐhuān dúshū hé kàn diànyǐng 。
In my leisure time, I like to read books and watch movies.

Same Characters, Different Readings

闲xián
not busy, idle, unoccupied, leisure

Words with similar meanings

空闲kòngxián
free time
This term emphasizes the availability of time without any commitments.
悠闲yōuxián
relaxed
This term suggests a calm and leisurely state, often with a sense of enjoyment.

Homophones

HSK 4
咸xián
salty
HSK 6
嫌xián
to dislike, suspicion, resentment
HSK 6
弦xián
bow string, string of musical instrument
贤xián
worthy or virtuous person

Words Starting With 闲

闲话xián huà
digression; gossip; complaint; scandal

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