源etymfun
About

Etymology data from Wiktionary via Wiktextract (CC BY-SA 4.0). Chinese character data from the 說文解字, the Taiwan MOE 國語辭典簡編本 (CC BY-ND 3.0 TW) and HSK/TOCFL lists.

Explanations are written by a local model (gemma4) and only published after a verification pass against the cited sources. How it works.

Chinese

玩

/wän³⁵/
to play with; to toy with
  • Phono-semantic compound 形聲
  • HSK 1
  • TOCFL 2
  • radical 玉
  • 8 strokes
  • 貦
  • 翫
  • 𰷡

Etymology graph

  • inherited
  • borrowed
  • derived
  • parts
  • meaning component
  • sound component
  • related
React Flow
Press enter or space to select a node. You can then use the arrow keys to move the node around. Press delete to remove it and escape to cancel.
Press enter or space to select an edge. You can then press delete to remove it or escape to cancel.

點擊節點放大 · Click a node to zoom in

Origin

The character 玩 is a phono-semantic compound. It consists of the semantic component 玉 (jade) and the phonetic component 元 (first; initial; primary; beginning). According to the Shuowen Jiezhi, the character is composed of the jade radical and the sound 元. This formation suggests a connection to ancient toys made of jade.

In terms of meaning, the character relates to playing, toying with, or engaging in games and recreational activities. It can also refer to treating something with a light or contemptuous attitude. The oldest attested scripts for this character include chu, seal, and regular scripts.

Confidence: high · written by gemma4:26b, checked statement-by-statement against the sources below.

「玩」字屬於形聲結構。其組成部分包含代表意義的「玉」，以及作為音符的「元」。根據 Wiktionary 的解釋，這種組合可能與古代用玉石製成的玩具有關。

在字義方面，《國語辭典》指出此字包含遊戲、耍弄、戲弄，以及供玩耍或遊戲之用的意思；此外，它也能表示以輕忽的態度對待。在最早的文字紀錄中，可見於楚系文字、篆書與正書。其字義涵蓋了玩耍、戲弄、從事運動或休閒活動，以及社交消遣等面向。

Confidence: high · written by gemma4:26b, checked statement-by-statement against the sources below.

Lineage

  • meaningChinese玉 “jade (originally nephrite, now also including jadeite)”
  • soundChinese元 “first; initial; primary; beginning”

Words built on it: 玩具

Wiktionary etymology text

Phono-semantic compound (形聲 /形声, OC *ŋoːns): semantic 玉 (“jade”) + phonetic 元 (OC *ŋon) – ancient toys made of jade.

From Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Meanings

character
  1. to play with; to toy with
  2. to play; to engage in sports or recreational activities
  3. to dabble in
  4. to play; to hang out; to have a good time; to have fun; to spend time socially (e.g. with friends); to go out
  5. to tease; to trifle with

Shuowen Jiezi 說文解字

玩:弄也。从玉，元聲。

Xu Shen, c. 100 CE — the first analytical dictionary of Chinese characters.

國語辭典 definitions

  1. 遊戲。 例：玩樂、玩耍
  2. 耍弄、戲弄。 例：玩弄、玩球、玩花招
  3. 供玩耍、遊戲的。 例：玩伴、玩具、玩偶
  4. 用輕忽的態度對待。 例：玩世不恭、玩物喪志
  5. 欣賞、觀賞。 例：玩月談文
  6. 可供玩賞的東西。 例：古玩、奇玩、珍玩

© Ministry of Education, Taiwan — CC BY-ND 3.0 TW, shown unaltered.

How 玩 was written 字形演變

  1. 玩 in Chu slips & silk script
    Chu slips & silk
    楚系簡帛
    Warring States
  2. 玩 in Small seal script
    Small seal
    說文小篆
    Shuowen, c. 100 CE
  3. 玩 in Regular script
    Regular
    楷書
    since c. 200 CE

Historical forms collected by the legacy etymfun dataset; most characters have several attested variants.

Sources

  • etymagent (local gemma4:26b) — Generated
  • Historical glyph forms (zdic.net 字形演变) — Rights unverified
  • HSK / TOCFL word lists — Facts (levels)
  • 教育部《國語辭典簡編本》 (Taiwan MOE) — CC BY-ND 3.0 TW
  • 說文解字 Shuowen Jiezi (Xu Shen, c. 100 CE) — Public domain
  • Written form — n/a
  • Wiktionary (via Wiktextract / kaikki.org) — CC BY-SA 4.0
  • Wiktionary: 玩