About
The character 蟠 combines the "insect" radical 虫 on the left, linking it to creatures like snakes or dragons, with the phonetic component 番 (fān) on the right. Its core meaning describes coiling or twisting, often used in classical texts to depict a resting dragon's posture. This sense extends metaphorically in botany, as in "蟠桃" (pántáo), the flat peach or legendary fruit of immortality said to grow on a gnarled, ancient tree.
Etymology Hide
