How to Write 饯 (jiàn) — Meaning “farewell dinner; preserved fruit”

Picture 饣 (food) as a dinner plate and 戋 as two crossed swords or sticks, representing the sadness of parting at a farewell dinner. Imagine a plate with crossed chopsticks, symbolizing the last meal before a journey. This visual trick links the character directly to its meaning of a farewell feast.

Write the radical 饣 first with 3 strokes: a short left-falling stroke, a horizontal hook, and a vertical lift. Then add 戋 on the right, which uses 5 strokes: two diagonal strokes like 戈 but without the hook, and a short stroke at the end. A common mistake is making the vertical lift of 饣 too long, which unbalances the character.

饯 (jiàn) means farewell dinner or preserved fruit, while 饧 (xíng) refers to sugar or candy, and 饨 (tún) is used only in 馄饨 (hún tún, wonton). Visually, 饧 has 饣 on the left with 亍 (chù) on the right, and 饨 has 饣 with 屯 (tún). The right parts are different: 戋 vs. 亍 vs. 屯.

饯 appears in words like 饯行 (jiàn xíng, to give a farewell dinner) and 蜜饯 (mì jiàn, candied fruit). In Chinese culture, a 饯行 banquet is a traditional way to show care for someone leaving on a long journey, symbolizing good wishes and a safe trip. The usage is less common in daily conversation but still relevant in formal or nostalgic contexts.

Common words containing 饯 include: 饯行 (jiàn xíng) — to give a farewell dinner; 蜜饯 (mì jiàn) — candied fruit; 饯别 (jiàn bié) — to give a farewell dinner.