琏

璉

liǎn

王 + 连

Definitions

liǎn sacrificial vessel used for grain offerings; also pr. [lián]

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 王 represents the meaning and 连 represents the sound. Simplified form of 璉.

Semantic: 王 Phonetic: 连

About

琏 is the simplified form of the traditional character 璉. It is a phono-semantic compound: the left side is the jade radical 王 (a variant of 玉), signaling a precious object, while the right side 连 indicates the pronunciation. Historically, this character denoted a specific type of ornate vessel made from jade or similarly valuable materials, used exclusively to hold grain offerings during state and religious sacrificial ceremonies. As these particular rituals gradually disappeared from everyday life, the character lost its practical role in the language. Today, it is encountered almost exclusively in classical texts that describe ancient ceremonial rites, or occasionally chosen for personal names.

Etymology Hide

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

贾琏是红楼梦的人物。

Jiǎ Liǎn shì hónglóu mèng de rénwù.

Jia Lian is a character in Dream of the Red Chamber.

贾琏的故事很有趣。

Jiǎ Liǎn de gùshì hěn yǒuqù.

Jia Lian's story is very interesting.

他的名字叫王琏。

Tā de míngzì jiào Wáng Liǎn.

His name is Wang Lian.

琏这个字不太常用。

Liǎn zhè ge zì bù tài chángyòng.

The character '琏' is not very commonly used.

古代有一种玉器叫做琏。

Gǔdài yǒu yī zhǒng yùqì jiàozuò liǎn.

In ancient times, there was a type of jade ware called lian.

琏字在字典里可以查到。

Liǎn zì zài zìdiǎn lǐ kěyǐ chá dào.

The character '琏' can be found in the dictionary.

虽然琏字不常见，但它是汉字的一部分。

Suīrán liǎn zì bù chángjiàn, dàn tā shì hànzì de yī bùfen.

Although the character '琏' is not common, it is part of Chinese characters.

在研究中国古代文化时，我们会了解到琏的用途。

Zài yánjiū zhōngguó gǔdài wénhuà shí, wǒmen huì liǎojiě dào liǎn de yòngtú.

When studying ancient Chinese culture, we will learn about the use of lian.

Related Characters

Component: 王

Component: 连