Definitions
name of a river in Shaanxi
Etymology
About
The character "磻" is structured with the semantic component "石", meaning stone, combined with the phonetic component "番", which historically indicated its pronunciation. Etymologically, it originated as a proper noun for the Pan River in ancient China, a location documented in early historical records associated with the figure Jiang Ziya fishing at Panxi. From this geographic reference, the character's meaning expanded to include a type of stone fishing weight, logically derived from the river's context. While its core use remains as a place name or surname, the character has seen limited application outside specialized historical or literary texts.
Etymology Hide
