深

• Pinyin: shēn
• Hanzi breakdown: 深 = 氵(water) + components depicting depth, originally describing water reaching deep underground

Meaning

Deep; profound. Describes physical depth, colour intensity, or abstract depth of thought and feeling.

A versatile adjective used in both concrete and abstract contexts. Physically: 水很深 (the water is deep), 深蓝色 (dark blue). Abstractly: 印象很深 (deep impression), 感情很深 (deep feelings), 理解很深 (deep understanding). The opposite is 浅 (shallow). Also used in time expressions: 深夜 (late at night).

Examples

1. 这条河很深，游泳要小心。 This river is very deep — be careful when swimming.
2. 老师的话给我留下了很深的印象。 The teacher's words left a very deep impression on me.
3. 他穿了一件深蓝色的外套。 He wore a dark blue coat.

Usage Guide

Context: description, nature, emotions, colours

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 这篇文章写得很深。(This article is written with great depth.)
• 她对中国文化有很深的了解。(She has a deep understanding of Chinese culture.)

Don't Say

• 这个问题很深难。(Don't combine 深 with 难 as a compound — say 这个问题很深 or 这个问题很难 separately.)

Origin & History

The character 深 contains 氵(water) and a phonetic component, originally describing the depth of a body of water. Extended metaphorically to mean profound or intense.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal