涡 (guō) — whirlpool; eddy (bound form, used in compounds)
Definition
A bound morpheme meaning 'whirlpool / eddy' that only appears as part of compounds like 漩涡 (xuánwō, whirlpool) and 涡流 (wōliú, eddy current). It has no standalone use — always pair it with 旋 or 流.
bound form
whirlpooleddy (bound form, used in compounds)
Examples
- 。Hé shuǐ xíng chéng le yí gè dà xuán guō.The river formed a big whirlpool.
- 。Kē xué jiā zài yán jiū guō liú de yùn dòng.Scientists are studying the movement of eddy currents.
- 。Zhè ge xuán guō de xíng zhuàng hěn qí guài.The shape of this whirlpool is very strange.
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 渦; 涡 is its simplified writing.
Sound part声符shēngfú
咼
咼wāi渦wō
Same sound today
The traditional form 渦 pairs 水 (water) with 咼 as a sound component; the simplified 涡 is a shorthand, so its right side is not the historical part.
Appears in
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