hsien

[ shyuhn ]

noun

, plural hsien.

1. (in popular Chinese religion) one of a group of benevolent spirits promoting good in the world.
2. (in China) a county or district.

Word History and Origins

Origin of hsien¹

First recorded in 1965–70; from Chinese (Wade-Giles) hsien1, (Pinyin) xiān “hermit, wizard”

Example Sentences

To save expense, some make the whole ascent of one hundred and twenty li from Omei-hsien in a day.

From Project Gutenberg

Nothing of great importance is known about Fa-Hsien in addition to what may be gathered from his own record of his travels.

From Project Gutenberg

Fa-Hsien and the rest, however, through the liberality of Foo Kung-sun, managed to go straight forward in a south-west direction.

From Project Gutenberg

Fa-Hsien and the others went forward to the kingdom of Tsze-hoh, which it took them twenty-five days to reach.

From Project Gutenberg

Here Fa-Hsien stayed two years, writing out his Sutras, and drawing pictures of images.

From Project Gutenberg