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盘旋 (pán xuán) — to circle, to spiral (in the air); to wind, to meander (of a road or path)

Definition

盘旋 paints a vivid picture: a bird or plane circling in the air, or a road winding upward. 飞翔 is about flying freely upward; 环绕 and 绕 are flatter, more neutral 'to circle / to go around.'

verb
to circleto spiral (in the air)to windto meander (of a road or path)

Examples

  • 盘旋。
    Niǎo qún zài chéng shì shàng kōng jiǔ jiǔ pán xuán.
    A flock of birds circled over the city for a long time.
  • 盘旋。
    Nà jià fēi jī zài pǎo dào shàng kōng pán xuán le hǎo jǐ quān cái jiàng luò.
    That plane circled over the runway several times before landing.
  • 著盘旋，。
    Shān jiān xiǎo lù yán zhù shān pō pán xuán ér shàng, fēng jǐng hěn měi.
    The mountain path winds up along the slope, and the scenery is beautiful.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

盘páncircle
旋xuánrevolve

盘 and 旋 both suggest circling, so the word pictures a path or flight winding around.

Characters in this word

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 盤; 盘 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
皿皿mǐn
Sound part声符shēngfú
般
般bān盤pán
Same sound today

The traditional form 盤 pairs 般, which gives the sound, with 皿, a vessel. This note is about 盤, not the simplified 盘.

Open 盘 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

  • 㫃㫃㫃flag
  • 止止zhǐfoot
  • 〇〇língcircle

旋 combines 㫃 (a flag), 止 (a foot), and 〇 (a circle), and 〇 also gave the sound.

Open 旋 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9HSK 2.0 Level 6

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