Definitions

xún name of a river; steep bank

Etymology phono-semantic

water

Semantic: Phonetic:

About

The character is a phono-semantic compound combining the semantic radical (shuǐ, water) on the left and the phonetic (xún, 'to seek') on the right. The traditional form is written with the unsimplified phonetic on the right. Its primary meaning is a steep bank along a deep river, a stream edge, or the waterside; it also appears in classical texts to describe a shoreline. Today it serves primarily in geographical names, notably Xunyang (浔阳), an ancient name for the city of Jiujiang, and as an abbreviation for areas along the Xunjiang River in Guangxi.

Etymology Hide

Seal etymology image
Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)
Traditional Modern
Simplified Modern