Definitions
Etymology
A bird 鳥 with a strange head
About
焉 originated as a depiction of a bird, though its form has changed significantly over time. Its modern structure includes the fire radical 灬 at the bottom, but this element is unrelated to its current grammatical use. The character is primarily a phonetic loan, borrowed to represent sounds in speech that lacked corresponding written symbols. In classical texts, it functions as an interrogative pronoun meaning 'how,' 'where,' or 'why,' and often appears as a final particle to indicate a concluding tone or factual statement, serving mainly as a structural linguistic tool.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
你焉能忘记承诺？
他焉知今日之事？
此事焉能急于求成？
他焉敢独自面对困难？
焉有不努力而成功之理？
你焉可忽视他人的感受？
焉得如此完美之解决方案？
焉能因小失大，不顾全局？