About
The character 琬 is structured with the jade radical 王 and the component 宛, which provides phonetic guidance and the semantic idea of curvature, originally denoting a curved jade tablet or ornament. Its meaning broadened from this specific artifact to a general association with jade, and it subsequently became a frequent element in personal names, leveraging jade's symbolic connotations. The character's composition has consistently featured these components, with 王 denoting the material category and 宛 conveying both sound and the concept of graceful bend.
Etymology Hide
