垣 (yuán) — (bound form) wall (in literary or formal compou…

Definition

Literary word for 'wall,' used almost only in set compounds like 城垣 (city wall) and 断壁残垣 (ruins). It is far more formal and written than everyday 墙.

bound form

wall (in literary or formal compounds)

垣。
Zhè zuò gǔ chéng de chéng yuán yǐ yǒu qiān nián lì shǐ.
The city wall of this ancient city has a history of a thousand years.
，垣。
Zhàn zhēng jié shù hòu, zhè lǐ zhī shèng xià duàn bì cán yuán.
After the war ended, only broken walls and ruins remained here.
垣。
Gǔ dài de chéng yuán duō yòng tǔ shí jiàn chéng.
The ancient city walls were mostly built with earth and stone.

Sound + meaning

六书liùshū

形声xíngshēng

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

土亘垣

Meaning part形符xíngfú

土土tǔearth

Sound part声符shēngfú

亘

亘gèn垣yuán

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

垣 combines 土, meaning earth, with 亘, which gives the character's sound.

Appears in