Definitions

yuán shaft of a cart or carriage; (bound form) entrance gate of a military camp or yamen; (fig.) government office

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. represents the meaning and represents the sound. Simplified form of .

Semantic: Phonetic:

About

The character 辕 (from traditional 軅) is a phono-semantic compound. Its left component, the vehicle radical 车, indicates a connection to carts or transportation, while the right component 袁 provides the phonetic element. Originally, 辕 specifically referred to the long wooden shafts at the front of an ancient horse-drawn carriage, to which the animals were harnessed. This meaning later expanded: as military commanders often positioned their chariots with these shafts pointing upward to form a defensive gateway, 辕 came to also denote the outer gates of a military encampment.

Etymology Hide

Seal etymology image
Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)
Seal etymology image
Seal Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Cao Wei (Three Kingdoms: 222-280 AD)
Traditional Modern
Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

马车车坏了。

Mǎchē chē yuán huài le.

The carriage shaft is broken.

他修好了马车的车

Tā xiū hǎo le mǎchē de chē yuán.

He fixed the carriage's shaft.

上挂着一盏灯。

Chē yuán shàng guà zhe yī zhǎn dēng.

A lantern is hanging on the shaft.

士兵们守在门外。

Shìbīng men shǒu zài yuán mén wài.

The soldiers are guarding outside the camp gate.

古代战车都有坚固车

Gǔdài zhànchē dōu yǒu jiāngù chē yuán.

Ancient chariots all have sturdy shafts.

黄帝是中华始祖。

Xuān Yuán Huángdì shì Zhōnghuá shǐzǔ.

Emperor Xuanyuan is the ancestor of the Chinese nation.

因为车断裂马车停了。

Yīnwèi chē yuán duànliè mǎchē tíng le.

The carriage stopped because the shaft snapped.

制造马车时车选材关键。

Zhìzào mǎchē shí chē yuán xuǎncái guānjiàn.

When building a carriage, shaft material selection is crucial.