liàn
dān

technical

Meaning of 炼丹

炼丹 means to refine cinnabar/elixirs (in Taoist alchemy); to concoct pills of immortality; to painstakingly refine or polish (work, writing, etc.); to grind away at something. Pronounced liàn dān.

  • to refine cinnabar/elixirs (in Taoist alchemy); to concoct pills of immortality
  • to painstakingly refine or polish (work, writing, etc.); to grind away at something

Definitions & Examples

Dào
shì
zài
Zhōng
nán
shān
shàng
liàn
dān
 

The Taoist priest was refining elixirs on Mount Zhongnan.

dài
wáng
xìn
liàn
dān
cháng
shēng
lǎo
 

Ancient emperors believed superstitiously that refining elixirs could grant eternal life.

Liàn
dān
yào
shū
de
dǐng
huǒ
hòu
 

Refining elixirs requires special furnaces and precise control of fire.