仙
- an immortal;
- a transcendent being;
In modern East Asian culture, it is strongly associated with Daoist immortals (神仙).
Etymology
仙 can be interpreted in two ways:
1) As a phono-semantic compound:
人 (“person”) — semantic
山 (“mountain”) — phonetic (san)
A person related to mountains, where sages and hermits dwell.
2) As an ideogrammic compound:
“A person who enters the mountains to cultivate and becomes an immortal.”
Traditional lexicons such as 《說文解字》 (Shuowen Jiezi) and 《集韻》 (Collection of Rhymes) predominantly favor the ideogrammic / meaning-based explanation, which gives it the famous poetic interpretation.
The character is closely related to 僊, which some sources regard as the original form, though their historical relationship is debated.
Usage in Korean
신선 (神仙) — immortal; Daoist transcendent
선경 (仙境) — fairyland; mystical realm
선인 (仙人) — immortal; hermit
선서 (仙書) — Daoist writings
선녀 (仙女) — fairy maiden
선풍도골 (仙風道骨) — “immortal’s bearing and Daoist bones”; noble and aloof appearance
Additional notes
Currency usage:
In Hong Kong, Malaysia, and other Sinophone regions, 仙 is colloquially used to represent “cent”, especially in older newspapers:
1仙 = 1 cent
Korea formerly used 弗 and 仙 in newspapers for similar purposes, though this is now obsolete.
仙 is fundamental in:
- Daoism
- Chinese folklore
- Korean and Japanese literature involving divine or mystical beings
The idea of a hermit in the mountains attaining transcendence is a central motif in East Asian spirituality.
Some traditions regard:
僊 as the fuller ancient form
仙 as the simplified or commonly used derivative
However, many scholars treat them as separate characters with overlapping meanings.
Classical citations:
《莊子·逍遙遊》 (Zhuangzi)
「神人之居，水不能濕，火不能熱。」
“Where the perfected beings (immortals) dwell, water cannot wet them, fire cannot burn them.”
仙 is implied through the concept of transcendent beings.
《列子·湯問》 (Liezi)
「或為仙者，能行雲氣，出入無間。」
“There are those who become immortals, able to ride the clouds and pass through all things.”
《說文解字》 (Shuowen Jiezi)
「仙，長生之人也。」
“Xian means a person of long life (an immortal).”
