圈

juān, juàn, quān

卷 + 囗

HSK 2.0Level 5

HSK 3.0Level 6

Definitions

quān (noun) circle; ring; loop

quān (verb) to surround; to circle

juān (verb) to confine; to lock up

juàn (noun) pen; enclosure (for animals)

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 囗 represents the meaning and 卷 represents the sound.

Semantic: 囗 Phonetic: 卷

About

圈 is a phono-semantic compound: the outer radical 囗 (meaning "enclosure") provides the semantic category, while the inner component 卷 (juàn) provides the sound. Its core meaning is a circle, a drawn ring, or the act of drawing a circular boundary around something. Extending the idea of an enclosed space, the character also came to designate a pen or fold for confining livestock.

Etymology Hide

Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

他在纸上画了一个圈。

Tā zài zhǐ shàng huà le yī gè quān.

He drew a circle on the paper.

这个圈子很友好。

Zhè gè quān zi hěn yǒu hǎo.

This circle (group) is very friendly.

她把重要内容圈起来了。

Tā bǎ zhòng yào nèi róng quān qǐ lái le.

She circled the important content.

我的朋友都在朋友圈里分享照片。

Wǒ de péng you dōu zài péng you quān lǐ fēn xiǎng zhào piàn.

My friends all share photos in the friend circle (social media).

这个公园被栅栏圈起来了。

Zhè gè gōng yuán bèi zhà lan quān qǐ lái le.

This park is enclosed by a fence.

他们属于不同的社交圈子。

Tā men shǔ yú bù tóng de shè jiāo quān zi.

They belong to different social circles.

为了安全，工人用绳子圈出了危险区域。

Wèi le ān quán, gōng rén yòng shéng zi quān chū le wēi xiǎn qū yù.

For safety, the workers used a rope to circle out the dangerous area.

在学术圈内，这个理论引起了广泛的讨论。

Zài xué shù quān nèi, zhè gè lǐ lùn yǐn qǐ le guǎng fàn de tǎo lùn.

Within the academic circle, this theory has sparked extensive discussion.

Related Characters

Component: 卷

Component: 囗

圈