辫

辮

biàn

纟 + 辛

Definitions

biàn a braid or queue; to plait

Etymology phono-semantic

thread

Semantic: 纟 Phonetic: 辛

About

辫 is a phono-semantic compound: traditional 辮 places the semantic 糸 ('silk/thread') between the two halves of the phonetic 辡, while simplified 辫 uses 纟. Originally it describes the act of plaiting or interweaving pliable strands and, by extension, the resulting braid. Over time it became strongly associated with human hair, specifically a braid or pigtail, though it still applies to other braided materials such as garlic stalks, straw, or thread.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

她的辫子很漂亮。

Tā de biànzi hěn piàoliang.

Her braid is very beautiful.

妹妹今天编了辫子。

Mèimei jīntiān biān le biànzi.

My younger sister braided her hair today.

那条辫子是用红绳扎的。

Nà tiáo biànzi shì yòng hóng shéng zā de.

That braid is tied with a red string.

她喜欢把头发编成辫子。

Tā xǐhuan bǎ tóufa biān chéng biànzi.

She likes to braid her hair.

辫子松散地垂在她的背上。

Biànzi sōngsǎn de chuí zài tā de bèi shàng.

The braid hangs loosely on her back.

她决定剪掉留了多年的长辫子。

Tā juédìng jiǎn diào liú le duō nián de cháng biànzi.

She decided to cut off the long braid she had kept for years.

辫子的样式随着时尚潮流而变化。

Biànzi de yàngshì suízhe shíshàng cháoliú ér biànhuà.

The style of braids changes with fashion trends.

她熟练地将头发分成三股编成辫子。

Tā shúliàn de jiāng tóufa fēn chéng sān gǔ biān chéng biànzi.

She skillfully divided her hair into three strands and braided it.

Related Characters

Component: 纟

Component: 辛

辫