hsien
Americannoun
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hsien
plural
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(in popular Chinese religion) one of a group of benevolent spirits promoting good in the world.
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(in China) a county or district.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of hsien
First recorded in 1965–70; from Chinese (Wade-Giles) hsien1, (Pinyin) xiān “hermit, wizard”
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Chen Li-fu traveled with speed and silence over south and central China, met with secret party leaders and hsien magistrates, testing the loyal, liquidating the disloyal.
From Time Magazine Archive
"Fu" may be translated prefecture, "chou," department, and "hsien," a district.
From A Wayfarer in China Impressions of a trip across West China and Mongolia by Elizabeth Kimball Kendall
By the courtesy of the Mandarin Li, two men were detailed to "sung" me—to accompany me, that is—and take the responsibility for my safe delivery at the next hsien.
From An Australian in China Being the Narrative of a Quiet Journey Across China to Burma by George Ernest Morrison
The hsien is in the unit of the most direct self-government of the people, without the interference of any elaborate set-up from officialdom.
From The Political Doctrines of Sun Yat-sen: An Exposition of the San Min Chu I by Paul Myron Anthony Linebarger
From the viewpoint of the Western reader this proverb could be turned against Sun in his treatment of the hsien.
From The Political Doctrines of Sun Yat-sen: An Exposition of the San Min Chu I by Paul Myron Anthony Linebarger
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
