Definitions

wěn cut across (throat)

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. represents the meaning and represents the sound.

Semantic: Phonetic:

About

is a verb meaning to cut one's own throat, typically in suicide. It is a phonosemantic compound: the right-side component (a knife or blade) supplies the sense of cutting, while the left-side indicates the pronunciation. Historically, the character appears in descriptions of defeated generals and tragic figures who chose death by their own blade rather than face capture or execution.

Etymology Hide

Seal etymology image
Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)
Traditional Modern
Simplified Modern