About
The character 袁 originally depicted a hand (又) putting on clothes (衣), expressing the idea of getting into armor, a meaning now written as 擐. A circle (圓) was later inserted in the middle to indicate the sound, yielding the pronunciation yuán. In the modern form, the hand element has been simplified into a top component resembling 土, the circle appears as 口, and 衣 remains at the bottom. The character's early sense of a long robe is a later misinterpretation; its authentic original use has disappeared, and today 袁 functions almost exclusively as a common surname.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
我的朋友姓袁。
袁先生是老师。
袁小姐来自北京。
袁教授教我们数学。
袁叔叔经常帮助邻居。
去年袁阿姨去了上海。
因为袁爷爷生病了，所以我们去看他。
袁博士的研究成果对农业有重大贡献。
Report an issue
Flag incorrect definitions, examples, etymology, etc.