萦

縈

yíng

糸 + 𫇦

Definitions

yíng (literary) to wind around

Etymology phono-semantic

thread

Semantic: 糸

About

萦 is a phono-semantic compound structurally linked to the concept of binding or coiling. Its core meaning derives from the 糸 (silk) radical at the bottom. In the traditional form 縈, two additional 纟 silk thread components at the top emphasize this entwining nature; in the simplified version, these were replaced by the 艹 (grass) component to reduce strokes, while the central 冖 (cover) remains. The character defines the physical action of wrapping or coiling around an object, and often extends poetically to describe emotions, melodies, or memories that linger or remain deeply entangled in the mind.

Etymology Hide

Bronze Mid Western Zhou (~900 BC)

Bronze Late Spring and Autumn (~500 BC)

Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

歌声萦绕在耳边。

Gēshēng yíngrào zài ěrbiān.

The song lingers in my ears.

那段回忆萦绕我心。

Nà duàn huíyì yíngrào wǒ xīn.

That memory lingers in my heart.

问题一直萦绕在他脑海。

Wèntí yīzhí yíngrào zài tā nǎohǎi.

The problem has been lingering in his mind.

她的笑容萦绕在我的梦中。

Tā de xiàoróng yíngrào zài wǒ de mèng zhōng.

Her smile lingers in my dreams.

旧日的旋律仍萦回于耳际。

Jiù rì de xuánlǜ réng yínghuí yú ěr jì.

The melody of old days still lingers around the ears.

这份愧疚萦怀多年，难以释怀。

Zhè fèn kuìjiù yínghuái duō nián, nányǐ shìhuái.

This guilt has occupied my mind for years, hard to let go.

尽管时光流逝，那场景依然萦绕不散。

Jǐnguǎn shíguāng liúshì, nà chǎngjǐng yīrán yíngrào bù sàn.

Despite the passage of time, that scene still lingers without dispersing.

复杂的思绪如丝线般萦绕，交织成无法解开的结。

Fùzá de sīxù rú sīxiàn bān yíngrào, jiāozhī chéng wúfǎ jiěkāi de jié.

Complicated thoughts linger like threads, intertwining into an unsolvable knot.

Related Characters

Composed characters:

Component: 糸

Component: 𫇦

萦