婉

wǎn

女 + 宛

Definitions

wǎn (adjective) graceful; gentle

wǎn (adjective) tactful

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 女 represents the meaning and 宛 represents the sound.

Semantic: 女 Phonetic: 宛

About

The character 婉 is a phono-semantic compound. The left-side radical 女 provides the semantic core, associating the character with femininity or qualities traditionally ascribed to women. The right component 宛 serves as the phonetic element (wan) while also suggesting a sense of yielding or bending. The primary meaning refers to grace, gentleness, elegance, or mildness in demeanor. This extends to communication, describing a tactful, indirect, or diplomatic manner of speaking that avoids bluntness, especially when delivering difficult messages.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Western Jin dynasty (266-316 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

她的歌声很婉转。

Tā de gēshēng hěn wǎnzhuǎn.

Her singing is very melodious.

他委婉地拒绝了邀请。

Tā wěiwǎn de jùjué le yāoqǐng.

He declined the invitation politely.

她用婉言表达不同意见。

Tā yòng wǎnyán biǎodá bùtóng yìjiàn.

She expressed her differing opinion with tactful words.

经理婉拒了那个合作提议。

Jīnglǐ wǎnjù le nàge hézuò tíyì.

The manager politely declined that cooperation proposal.

他的语气很委婉，但态度坚决。

Tā de yǔqì hěn wěiwǎn, dàn tàidù jiānjué.

His tone was very euphemistic, but his attitude was firm.

她以婉约的笔触描绘了自然景色。

Tā yǐ wǎnyuē de bǐchù miáohuì le zìrán jǐngsè.

She depicted the natural scenery with a graceful and restrained brushstroke.

尽管她婉转地指出了错误，对方仍感到尴尬。

Jǐnguǎn tā wǎnzhuǎn de zhǐchūle cuòwù, duìfāng réng gǎndào gāngà.

Even though she tactfully pointed out the mistake, the other party still felt embarrassed.

在敏感议题的讨论中，委婉的措辞能避免冲突升级。

Zài mǐngǎn yìtí de tǎolùn zhōng, wěiwǎn de cuòcí néng bìmiǎn chōngtú shēngjí.

In discussions of sensitive topics, euphemistic wording can prevent the escalation of conflict.

Related Characters

Component: 女

Component: 宛

婉