Qian
/tɕʰjɛn/noun
A traditional Chinese monetary unit equal to one-tenth of a tael, also used historically for a small Chinese coin.
Did you know?The character 錢 originally referred to a small agricultural implement, and its meaning shifted to metal currency as bronze coinage developed in ancient China.
Etymological Timeline
Late Old Chinese
Old Chinese
錢 (*dzan or related reconstruction)
“A metal agricultural implement, probably a small spade or hoe”
Warring States period
Chinese
錢
“A spade-shaped bronze object associated with exchange and value”
Han dynasty
Classical Chinese
錢
“Money or coin; the earlier tool sense had largely given way to the monetary sense”
Middle Chinese
Middle Chinese
dzjen
“Money, coin, or a small monetary denomination”
Modern Mandarin
Mandarin
qián
“Money; a traditional small monetary unit”
Modern English
English
qian
“A Chinese monetary unit equal to one-tenth of a tael”