乾

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one of the Eight Trigrams 八卦[ba1 gua4], symbolizing heaven; male principle; ☰; ancient Chinese compass point: 315° (northwest)

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Formation & memory

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Ideographic compound (会意字)

Rays 十 emanating from the 日; 乞 provides the pronunciation

Components 龺乞

The most common words first — learning a character in context makes it stick.

Word	Pinyin	Meaning
乾嘉三大家	Qián Jiā Sān Dà jiā	the three leading poets of the Qianlong-Jiaqing era (1735–1820), who championed personal e…
乾安县	Qián ān Xiàn	Qian'an, a county in Songyuan City 松原市[Song1 yuan2 Shi4], Jilin
康乾盛世	kāng qián shèng shì	booming and golden age of Qing dynasty (from Kang Xi to Qian Long emperors)
乾县	Qián Xiàn	Qian County or Qianxian, a county in Xianyang City 咸陽市\|咸阳市[Xian2 yang2 Shi4], Shaanxi
乾安	Qián ān	see 乾安縣\|乾安县[Qian2 an1 Xian4]
康乾宗迦峰	Kāng qián zōng jiā fēng	Kachenjunga (Himalayan peak)
旋乾转坤	xuán qián zhuǎn kūn	lit. overturning heaven and earth (idiom); earth-shattering; a radical change
乾隆	Qián lóng	the Qianlong era; Qianlong Emperor (1711–1799), sixth Qing emperor, princely title 寶親王\|宝亲王…
乾陵	Qián líng	Qianling at Xianyang 咸陽市\|咸阳市 in Shaanxi, burial site of third Tang emperor 高宗 and empress …
扭转乾坤	niǔ zhuǎn qián kūn	lit. to upend heaven and earth (idiom); fig. to change the course of events; to turn thing…
乾旦	qián dàn	male actor playing the female role (Chinese opera)
朝乾夕惕	zhāo qián xī tì	cautious and diligent all day long (idiom)
萧乾	Xiāo Qián	Xiao Qian (1910-1999), Mongolian-born, Cambridge-educated journalist active during Second …
竺乾	Zhú qián	Buddha (archaic); Dharma (the teachings of the Buddha)
乾坤	qián kūn	yin and yang; heaven and earth; the universe