intelligent, wise, wisdom, cleverness
賢 centers on sharp mental ability: being intelligent, wise, or clever. The given meanings all describe a person with good judgment and quick understanding.
賢 combines 臤 (a component associated with firmness or pulling) with 貝 (shell, money), suggesting a person of firm character and valuable wisdom. The exact historical development is uncertain, but the combination points to the idea of a worthy, intelligent person.
The top 臤 looks like a firm hand (又) over an eye (臣), and the bottom 貝 is a shell or treasure. Imagine a wise person who firmly guards valuable knowledge like a treasure.
For ケン, picture a wise Ken (a clever person named Ken) who always has the smartest ideas. Ken -> ケン, and his wisdom is a treasure.
wise; clever; smart
intelligence; genius; scholarship; virtue
wise person; sage
wise; sensible; well-advised; intelligent; sagacious; prudent
wise person; virtuous person; sage
clever; shrewd; crafty; cunning; pretentious; impertinent; insolent
great sage
good wife and wise mother
devious; cunning; sly; crafty
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (novel, film)
the Seven Wise Men (of Confucius's Analects)
the Seven Wise Men (of Greece); the Seven Sages of Greece
the Five Good Emperors (of the Roman Empire; Nerva, Trajan, Hadrian, Antoninus Pius, and Marcus Aurelius)
excellent wisdom
ancient sage
wise men of the past
ancient sage
great sage
even a clever woman is bound to mess up; a woman's intelligence only goes so far; female sagacity overreaches itself; a clever woman fails to sell a cow
readily; very eagerly; without moment's hesitation