辕

轅

yuán

袁 + 车

Definitions

yuán shaft of a cart or carriage; (bound form) entrance gate of a military camp or yamen; (fig.) government office

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 车 represents the meaning and 袁 represents the sound. Simplified form of 轅.

Semantic: 车 Phonetic: 袁

About

辕 is a phono-semantic compound, simplified from 轅. The radical 车 (vehicle) gives the meaning, and 袁 supplies the sound. It originally referred to the long wooden shafts projecting from the front of an ancient horse-drawn carriage, to which the draft animals were harnessed. Later, through the practice of military commanders arranging heavy chariots in a defensive circle with their shafts raised to form an improvised entrance, the character took on the extended meaning of the outer gates of a military headquarters.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Seal Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Clerical Cao Wei (Three Kingdoms: 222-280 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

马车车辕坏了。

Mǎchē chē yuán huài le.

The carriage shaft is broken.

他修好了马车的车辕。

Tā xiū hǎo le mǎchē de chē yuán.

He fixed the carriage's shaft.

车辕上挂着一盏灯。

Chē yuán shàng guà zhe yī zhǎn dēng.

A lantern is hanging on the shaft.

士兵们守在辕门外。

Shìbīng men shǒu zài yuán mén wài.

The soldiers are guarding outside the camp gate.

古代战车都有坚固车辕。

Gǔdài zhànchē dōu yǒu jiāngù chē yuán.

Ancient chariots all have sturdy shafts.

轩辕黄帝是中华始祖。

Xuān Yuán Huángdì shì Zhōnghuá shǐzǔ.

Emperor Xuanyuan is the ancestor of the Chinese nation.

因为车辕断裂马车停了。

Yīnwèi chē yuán duànliè mǎchē tíng le.

The carriage stopped because the shaft snapped.

制造马车时车辕选材关键。

Zhìzào mǎchē shí chē yuán xuǎncái guānjiàn.

When building a carriage, shaft material selection is crucial.

Related Characters

Component: 袁

Component: 车

辕