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The character 婉, formed by the woman radical 女 combined with 宛 as a phonetic and semantic component, originally conveyed the idea of gentle compliance and agreeable demeanor specifically associated with women, drawing from 宛's connotations of curvature and softness. Its early usage centered on describing obedient and mild feminine conduct, but over time its meaning expanded to denote a broader sense of gracefulness, tact, and subtlety in both behavior and expression. This evolution is evident in later linguistic compounds such as 婉转, referring to indirect or euphemistic speech, and 婉约, describing a delicate and restrained style in literary arts, while the character's structural integrity, maintaining its components, has continuously supported these layered interpretations.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
她的歌声很婉转。
他委婉地拒绝了邀请。
她用婉言表达不同意见。
经理婉拒了那个合作提议。
他的语气很委婉，但态度坚决。
她以婉约的笔触描绘了自然景色。
尽管她婉转地指出了错误，对方仍感到尴尬。
在敏感议题的讨论中，委婉的措辞能避免冲突升级。