xuán

to revolve

a loop; a circle

direction (方) + foot-movement (疋) = revolving in a loop

方 originally depicted a plow or a square shape, evoking direction and orientation; 疋 relates to the foot and walking, suggesting movement. Together they picture something that moves around a fixed point, tracing a loop.

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DirectionSemantic
FootSemantic

风把落叶吹得不停地转。

fēng bǎ luò yè chuī de bù tíng de xuán zhuǎn。

The wind blew the fallen leaves spinning without stop.

鸟儿在天空中盘了很久才落下来。

niǎo er zài tiān kōng zhōng pán xuán le hěn jiǔ cái luò xia lái。

The bird circled in the sky for a long time before coming down.

Words with 旋

钩端螺旋体病

gōu duān luó xuán tǐ bìng

leptospirosis

旋子

xuàn zi

large metal plate for making bean curd

旋工

xuàn gōng

lathe operator

旋床

xuàn chuáng

lathe

旋木

xuàn mù

wood turning

锈红腹旋木雀

xiù hóng fù xuán mù què

(bird species of China) rusty-flanked treecreeper (Certhia nipalensis)

霍氏旋木雀

huò shì xuán mù què

(bird species of China) Hodgson's treecreeper (Certhia hodgsoni)

高山旋木雀

gāo shān xuán mù què

(bird species of China) bar-tailed treecreeper (Certhia himalayana)

发旋

fà xuán

hair whorl

黑旋风

hēi xuàn fēng

Black Whirlwind, nickname of 李逵[Li3 Kui2], known for his fearsome behavior in combat and his dark complexion

下旋

xià xuán

(sport) backspin

下旋削球

xià xuán xiāo qiú

(golf, tennis) undercut

More characters with 方

仿