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潋 (liàn), traditional form 瀲, is a phono-semantic compound used to depict the visual behavior of liquids. Its semantic component, the water radical 氵 (shuǐ), links it to rivers, lakes, or fluid movement; the phonetic is 敛 (liǎn), which is simplified from the traditional 斂 (liǎn). In classical poetry and prose, it appears almost exclusively to describe the gentle, rhythmic rippling of water across a surface, or water brimming and overflowing its banks. It evokes a highly aesthetic, visual quality, water interacting with light and wind, and remains primarily within descriptive literature and poetry.
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