Definitions

cūn chapped; cracked

Etymology phono-semantic

hide

Semantic: Phonetic:

About

(cūn) is a phono-semantic compound combining the semantic radical (skin, hide) and the phonetic component (qūn, historically meaning "to move slowly"). It originally described skin that was chapped, cracked, or deeply wrinkled from cold or harsh conditions. This concept later extended to traditional Chinese painting, where it became the technical term for "texture strokes", a brush technique used to render the tactile surfaces, ridges, and contours of mountains, rocks, and tree bark.

Etymology Hide

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