ON THE CHARACTER

If you’re living as righteously as Samuel L. Jackson circa the first half of “Pulp Fiction” would hope， then險 (xi2n)， or “danger，” is probably a big part of your life—whether that means feeding vicious tigers in Harbin or making a last-minute dash to renew your visa. 險， simply put， is the essence of badassery， as indicated by its inclusion in such terms as 危險 (w8ixi2n， danger)， 冒險 (m3oxi2n， to take risks) and this issue’s theme: 探險 (t3nxi2n) or adventure.

While these days the greatest danger Chinese city folk are likely to face ranges from reckless drivers to a misfired loogie， things were a bit different several thousand years ago when 險was conceived. In its original form， 險referred to steep and difficult terrain， which， back then， was a bigger danger than sleepy cab drivers. You can see this in the left-most radical阝， which was originally drawn as and later 阜， meant to mimic a mud hill extending upwards， layer by layer. 僉， meanwhile， contributes the pronunciation xi2n， evolved from the original qi2n.

After enough people were killed or maimed falling from rough， muddy hills， 險 took on the explicit meaning of “danger，” and continues to be used in related words. 風險 (f8ngxi2n)， for example， means risk， 險兆 (xi2nzh3o) is an evil omen and 險情 (xi2nq!ng) refers to peril. So what kind of dangers are we talking about? You name it， 險’s got it， from more natural dangers like 險癥 (xi2nzh-ng) or critical illness， to the more dramatic 險象環生 (xi2n xi3ng hu1n sh8ng)， meaning “to be surrounded by perils.” Then there are ways of dealing with danger， like 鋌而走險 (t@ng 9r z6u xi2n)， which means to take a risk out of desperation， or 化險為夷 (hu3 xi2n w9i y!)， meaning to render a perilous situation harmless. If you’re taking on a fun kind of danger (say， dealing with a bunch of snakes on a plane)， then you can say you have 歷險 (l#xi2n)—experienced adventure.

In addition to meaning real and imminent danger， 險 also encapsulates the possibility of disaster and misfortune—in other words，“the danger of.” For this reason，險 has also taken on the meaning“nearly happened” (or perhaps more accurately， “narrowly avoided”). You can see this in words like 險些 (xi2nxi8)， which means “something bad almost happened，” 險些摔倒 (xi2nxi8 shu`i d2o， to almost fall down)， or 險些出錯 (xi2nxi8 ch$cu7， to almost make

a mistake). But 險 can also refer to gains narrowly made， as with 險勝(xi2nsh-ng)， or a narrow victory. For example， a basketball team that wins 81 to 80 could be called 險勝對手(xi2nsh-ng du#sh6u)， or “narrow victors.”

But for the most part， 險 has a fairly negative connotation， and can be used to describe anything from adverse terrain， as in the idiom 艱難險阻 (ji`nn1n xi2nz^， untold dangers and difficulties) to treacherous (居心險惡j$x~n xi2n’-)， sinister (陰險 y~nxi2n)， and malicious (險毒 xi2nd%) people.

But in this dangerous world， 險 is also on the lookout for us in the form of 保險 (b2oxi2n)， or insurance. The word is usually shortened depending on the kind of insurance you’re talking about， like 車險 (ch8xi2n， car insurance)， 產險 (ch2nxi2n， property and casualty insurance)， 壽險(sh7uxi2n， life insurance) and the biggie:三險 (s`n xi2n) or the “three insurances，”referring to unemployment， old-age and medical insurance. In contrast to their more malevolent brethren， these kinds of 險 are not bad omens， but ways to safeguard against the real 險that lurks around the corner—or the aisles of a plane. - By lao huang and xIao chu (黃偉嘉，儲丹丹) tranSlated By angela Sun (孫惠子)