嫣

yān

女 + 焉

Frequency#3520

Definitions

yān (literary) lovely; sweet

Etymology phono-semantic

woman

Semantic: 女 Phonetic: 焉

About

The character "嫣" is structured as a phono-semantic compound, with the semantic component 女 meaning "woman" and the phonetic component 焉 providing its sound. Etymologically, it initially denoted the charming or beautiful appearance of women. Over time, its semantic scope widened to describe vivid colors, as in the compound "嫣红" for a bright red shade, and gentle expressions, such as "嫣然" for a sweet smile, reflecting a shift from exclusively describing feminine aesthetics to encompassing broader descriptive uses in the language.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

妹妹嫣然一笑。

Mèimei yānrán yī xiào.

Little sister smiled sweetly.

她的笑容很嫣然。

Tā de xiàoróng hěn yānrán.

Her smile is very sweet.

花儿开得嫣然动人。

Huā er kāi de yānrán dòngrén.

The flowers bloom sweetly and movingly.

她嫣然回首，留下美好印象。

Tā yānrán huíshǒu, liú xià měihǎo yìnxiàng.

She turned her head with a sweet smile, leaving a good impression.

在舞台上，她以嫣然的舞姿征服观众。

Zài wǔtái shàng, tā yǐ yānrán de wǔzī zhēngfú guānzhòng.

On stage, she captivated the audience with her graceful dance.

尽管工作繁忙，她总是保持嫣然的态度。

Jǐnguǎn gōngzuò fánmáng, tā zǒngshì bǎochí yānrán de tàidù.

Despite being busy with work, she always maintains a graceful attitude.

夕阳下，她的侧影显得格外嫣然。

Xīyáng xià, tā de cèyǐng xiǎndé géwài yānrán.

Under the sunset, her profile appears especially charming.

她的生活因嫣然的笑容而充满阳光。

Tā de shēnghuó yīn yānrán de xiàoróng ér chōngmǎn yángguāng.

Her life is full of sunshine because of her sweet smile.

Related Characters

Component: 女

Component: 焉

嫣