Definitions

chēn name of a district in Hunan

Etymology phono-semantic

place

Semantic: Phonetic:

About

The character 郴 was formed by combining the component 林, meaning forest, with the radical 阝 on the right, which signifies a settlement or city, to specifically denote the geographic area of Chenzhou. Its etymology reflects the wooded characteristics of the region, and the character has consistently functioned as a proper noun for this location without developing other meanings over time.

Etymology Hide

Bronze etymology image
Bronze Mid Warring States (~300 BC)
Seal etymology image
Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)
Seal etymology image
Seal Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)
Traditional Modern
Simplified Modern