关 (guān) — (verb) to close, to shut, to turn off; (verb) to confine, to lock up; (verb) to concern, to involve
Definition
As a verb, 关 covers two main uses: 'to close/shut/turn off' (doors, windows, lights, devices) — close cousin of 闭 and 关闭 — and 'to confine/lock up' (someone or something inside).
verb
to closeto shutto turn offto confineto lock upto concernto involve
Examples
- 。Qǐng guān shàng mén.Please close the door.
- 关。Tā guān le diàn shì.He turned off the TV.
- 关。Mā ma bǎ māo guān zài fáng jiān lǐ.Mom locked the cat in the room.
Origin
Sound + meaning六书liùshū
形声xíngshēngMost 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 關; 关 is its simplified writing.
Meaning part形符xíngfú
門門méndoor
Sound part声符shēngfú
𢇅
𢇅𢇅關guān
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.
For 关, the traditional form 關 shows 門 as a door and 𢇅 as two wooden sticks locking it, with ring-like marks on top.
Appears in
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