Definitions

yuān dull, parched, or inflamed eyes

Etymology phono-semantic

eye

Semantic: Phonetic:

About

is an ideogrammatic compound that visually combines (suggesting a person rolling over or bending) above the eye radical . Originally, it signified a lack of brightness in the eyes or visual fatigue. Over time, its primary usage shifted to describe something dried up, exhausted, or depleted, most frequently a dry well or empty water source. This structural combination conveys emptiness or failure, and the character is used in classical and literary contexts to denote depletion, without possessing a distinct traditional or simplified form.

Etymology Hide

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