還 (Kangxi radical 162,辵+13, 17 strokesin traditional Chinese and Korean, 16 strokesin mainland China and Japanese,cangjie input卜田中女 (YWLV),four-corner3630₃,composition⿺辶睘)

• 𫤇,𡄤,𭣌,㶎,𣟳,𤫐,𧮅,𨰄

• Kangxi Dictionary:page 1266, character 23
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 39174
• Dae Jaweon: page 1764, character 12
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 6, page 3888, character 2
• Unihan data for U+9084

Historical forms of the character還
Western Zhou	Warring States	Shuowen Jiezi (compiled inHan)	Liushutong (compiled inMing)
Bronze inscriptions	Chu slip and silk script	Small seal script	Transcribed ancient scripts

Phono-semantic compound (形聲 /形声,OC*ɡʷraːn, *sɢʷan): semantic 辵(“walk”) + phonetic 睘(OC*ɡʷeŋ) – to go back; to return.

“to return”

FromAustroasiatic; compareKhmerរង្វាន់(rŭəngvŏən,“reward; award; bonus”) (Schuessler, 2007). Probably related to環 (OC*ɡʷraːn, “ring; to encircle”) (ibid.).

"still; also"

The Mandarin readinghái is perhaps fromhuán (huán →hán →hái), ultimately from the verb sense "to return" (Zhao, 2018).

還

1. toreturn to a place; to go back to a place

   還家／还家  ― huánjiā  ―  to return home

   還鄉／还乡  ― huánxiāng  ―  to return to one's hometown

   還原／还原  ― huányuán  ―  to return to the original state, [chemistry] to reduce

   還俗／还俗  ― huánsú  ―  to resume secular life

2. toreturn an object; togive back

   償還／偿还  ― chánghuán  ―  to reimburse

   還書／还书  ― huánshū  ―  to return the books (to the library)

   欠錢不還／欠钱不还  ― qiàn qián bùhuán  ―  to owe money (without the intention of paying back)

   把我的手機還給我。[MSC,trad.]
   把我的手机还给我。[MSC,simp.]

   Bǎ wǒ de shǒujīhuán gěi wǒ.[Pinyin]

   Give my mobile back to me.

   • 2014, “火燒島 [Huǒshāo Dǎo,Set Fire to the Island]”, in失竊千年 [Timeless Sentence], performed by閃靈樂團 [Chthonic]:

     失散的靈魂用恁的命來還[Taiwanese Hokkien,trad.]
     失散的灵魂用恁的命来还[Taiwanese Hokkien,simp.]

     [translit?][Pe̍h-ōe-jī]

     (please add an English translation of this usage example)

3. to do or give something inreturn

   還嘴／还嘴  ― huánzuǐ  ―  to retort

   還手／还手  ― huánshǒu  ―  to hit back

   還禮／还礼  ― huánlǐ  ―  to present a gift in return

   還擊／还击  ― huánjī  ―  to fight back

   還價／还价  ― huánjià  ―  to make a counter-offer buying price

   以眼還眼，以牙還牙[MSC,trad.]
   以眼还眼，以牙还牙[MSC,simp.]

   yǐ yǎnhuán yǎn, yǐ yáhuán yá[Pinyin]

   (literally) an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth;tit for tat

4. (Cantonese, Pingxiang Gan, Hakka, Hokkien, Liuzhou Mandarin, Nanning Pinghua) totreatseparately
   • 1995,Out of the Dark, spoken by Leon (Stephen Chow):

     七孔流血還七孔流血，死還死，兩回事嚟嘅，你千祈唔好混淆。[Cantonese,trad.]
     七孔流血还七孔流血，死还死，两回事嚟嘅，你千祈唔好混淆。[Cantonese,simp.]

     cat¹ hung² lau⁴ hyut³waan⁴ cat¹ hung² lau⁴ hyut³, sei²waan⁴ sei², loeng⁵ wui⁴ si⁶ lai⁴ ge³, nei⁵ cin¹ kei⁴ m⁴ hou² wan⁶ ngaau⁴.[Jyutping]

     (please add an English translation of this usage example)

5. (Teochew, Malaysia Hokkien, Singapore Hokkien, Philippine Hokkien) topay
6. asurname

• → Thai:หวน(hǔuan)

還

1. still;yet;indicates that the phenomenon or observation still exists or the action is still ongoing

   他還沒來。／他还没来。  ― Tāhái méi lái.  ―  He hasn't comeyet.

   還未得住。／还未得住。[Taishanese]  ― van³ mei⁵ ak² zi⁵.[Wiktionary]  ―  It'sstill not OK.

   你怎麼還沒到？／你怎么还没到？  ― Nǐ zěnmehái méi dào?  ―  Why are youstill not here?

   這裡還是老樣子。[MSC,trad.]
   这里还是老样子。[MSC,simp.]

   Zhèlǐhái shì lǎo yàngzi.[Pinyin]

   Here'sstill the same as before.

   十點了，他還在工作。[MSC,trad.]
   十点了，他还在工作。[MSC,simp.]

   Shí diǎn le, tāhái zài gōngzuò.[Pinyin]

   It's ten o'clock already and he isstill working.

   幾年不見，她還那麼漂亮。[MSC,trad.]
   几年不见，她还那么漂亮。[MSC,simp.]

   Jǐ nián bù jiàn, tāhái nàme piàoliàng.[Pinyin]

   She isstill very beautiful after all these years.

   考試完還要上課。[MSC,trad.]
   考试完还要上课。[MSC,simp.]

   Kǎoshì wánhái yào shàngkè.[Pinyin]

   (I)still have classes after the exams.

2. also;as well

   她會說英語，還會說西班牙語。[MSC,trad.]
   她会说英语，还会说西班牙语。[MSC,simp.]

   Tā huì shuō yīngyǔ,hái huì shuō xībānyáyǔ.[Pinyin]

   She can speak English and canalso speak Spanish.

   他賠了一大筆錢，還丟了工作。[MSC,trad.]
   他赔了一大笔钱，还丢了工作。[MSC,simp.]

   Tā péi le yī dà bǐ qián,hái diū le gōngzuò.[Pinyin]

   He lost a lot of moneyand even his job.

3. evenmore;indicates an increase from a certain level or a supplement

   今年比去年還冷。[MSC,trad.]
   今年比去年还冷。[MSC,simp.]

   Jīnnián bǐ qùniánhái lěng.[Pinyin]

   This year is even colder than last year.

4. (before adjectives, mostly positive)passably; (surprisingly)quite

   我的成績還可以。[MSC,trad.]
   我的成绩还可以。[MSC,simp.]

   Wǒ de chéngjìhái kěyǐ.[Pinyin]

   I have apassable grade.

   屋子不大，收拾得倒還乾淨。[MSC,trad.]
   屋子不大，收拾得倒还干净。[MSC,simp.]

   Wūzi bù dà, shōushi dé dǎohái qiánjìng.[Pinyin]

   It'squite clean for such a small room.

   孩子不大，還挺懂事的。[MSC,trad.]
   孩子不大，还挺懂事的。[MSC,simp.]

   Háizi bù dà,hái tǐng dǒngshì de.[Pinyin]

   The small kid issurprisingly quite sensible.

   這蛋糕還挺好吃的。[MSC,trad.]
   这蛋糕还挺好吃的。[MSC,simp.]

   Zhè dàngāohái tǐng hǎochī de.[Pinyin]

   That was a pretty tasty cake.

5. (often in rhetorical questions)indicates condition and contrast, interchangeable with都 (dōu);even

   你還搬不動，何況我呢？[MSC,trad.]
   你还搬不动，何况我呢？[MSC,simp.]

   Nǐhái bān bù dòng, hékuàng wǒ ne?[Pinyin]

   Even you can't move it, let alone me.

6. indicates unexpectedness;really

   他還真有辦法。／他还真有办法。  ― Tāhái zhēn yǒu bànfǎ.  ―  Surprisingly he has a way to do this.

   還真的是。／还真的是。  ― Hái zhēnde shì.  ―  It really is so[; would you look at that.]

7. indicatespast events; emphasising earliness

   還在幾年以前，我們就研究過這個方案。[MSC,trad.]
   还在几年以前，我们就研究过这个方案。[MSC,simp.]

   Hái zài jǐ nián yǐqián, wǒmen jiù yánjiū guò zhège fāng'àn.[Pinyin]

   The proposal has been studied by us a couple of years ago (and now you made the suggestion to study it).

8. (Hakka, usually inexclamation)very

   還大雨噢！／还大雨噢！[Meixian Hakka]  ― han² tai⁴ yi³ o³![Hakka Transliteration Scheme]  ―  It's rainingheavily!

• (Nanjing)IPA^(key): /ɑʔ˥/