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蟠 — pronunciations, definitions, and tags
HanziPinyinEnglishTags
蟠pánto occupy; to coil; curled up, coiledvg, 18 strokes, radical 虫, rank #24349, Very Hard
蟠pánTrichina spiralisunknown, 18 strokes, radical 虫, rank #24349, Very Hard
pán(pan2) T2
  1. 1to occupy; to coil; curled up, coiled
  2. 2Trichina spiralis
Listen to the audio pronunciation 3 times to gain XP
March 24, 2026

蟠pán(pan2)

The character 蟠 (pán) primarily means to occupy or to coil, often referring to something that is curled up or twisted. It is commonly used in contexts involving nature, such as describing the shape of certain animals or plants, and can also refer to the concept of intertwining or entanglement.

Strokes18Radical虫Frequency#24349DifficultyVery Hard
Cultural Note

In traditional Chinese medicine, the concept of coiling can relate to the movement of energy (qi) in the body, where blocked energy may need to be 'uncoiled' for health and balance. This reflects the holistic view of bodily functions in Chinese culture.

Memory Tip

Imagine a snake coiling up around a tree trunk, with its body forming the shape of the character 蟠. The character has the insect radical 虫, reminding you of a creature that can curl and twist, while the pronunciation 'pán' sounds like 'pan,' as in a frying pan that can hold and occupy space.

Meanings of 蟠

pán(pan2)
1to occupy; to coil; curled up, coiled
2Trichina spiralis
Exercise 1 of 2

Listen & Choose the Meaning

Choose the correct answer:

About 蟠

蟠Simplified
18Strokes
虫Radical
动语素dòngcíverb root (v.root)Part of Speech
#—Frequency Rank

Podcast: 蟠

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Podcast: 蟠

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AI Study Notes for 蟠

Quick Contrast

盘 (pán, to plate or dish) vs 扭 (niǔ, to twist) — choose 蟠 for its specific meaning of coiling or intertwining in a natural context.

Usage Notes

Learners often confuse 蟠 with similar-sounding characters, so pay attention to the tone and context. This term is more formal and literary, often appearing in poetry or classical texts rather than everyday conversation. It commonly collocates with words related to nature and physical forms.

HSK Study Tips

While 蟠 is not part of the official HSK vocabulary lists, it aligns with HSK 4 and 5 themes related to nature and description. Students should focus on understanding its usage in literary contexts and explore related terms like 卷 (juǎn, to roll up) to deepen their vocabulary.

Common Mistakes

Learners may confuse 蟠 with 卷 (juǎn) due to their similar meanings related to curling. For example, saying '我蟠书' (wǒ pán shū) instead of '我卷书' (wǒ juǎn shū) to mean 'I roll up the book' is incorrect; use 卷 instead.

AI-enhanced 2026-03-24

Pronunciation of 蟠

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Etymology of 蟠

Formation Typepictophonetic
六书 ClassificationPhono-semantic (形声字)~80-90% of characters
Explanation

Phonosemantic compound. 虫 represents the meaning and 番 represents the sound.

Memory Hint

insect

Semantic (meaning)虫
+
Phonetic (sound)番
Learn more about Phono-semantic (形声字) characters

Jason Etymology Detective

Case file: 蟠

Phonosemantic compound. 虫 represents the meaning and 番 represents the sound.

  1. 1The meaning half虫 carries the sense.
  2. 2The sound half番 is there for the reading, not the meaning.
  3. 3The giveawayinsect
  4. 4On the record aspictophonetic.

Every clue here comes from the character's recorded structure — nothing is guessed.

Want the full history of 蟠? Jason searches the paleographic record, weighs the competing accounts and judges the popular story.

Charged once for this character — everyone reads it afterwards.
Exercise 1 of 1

Character Formation Type

What type of character formation is 蟠?

Decomposition of 蟠

IDS Structure⿰虫番
蟠Full Character
=
虫chong2
left
番fan1
right
Exercise 1 of 2

Identify the Components

Which of these is a component of 蟠?

How to say to occupy; to coil; curled up, coiled in Chinese

“to occupy; to coil; curled up, coiled” in Chinese is蟠pán

The character 蟠 (pán) primarily means to occupy or to coil, often referring to something that is curled up or twisted. It is commonly used in contexts involving nature, such as describing the shape of certain animals or plants, and can also refer to the concept of intertwining or entanglement.

When to use 蟠

Learners often confuse 蟠 with similar-sounding characters, so pay attention to the tone and context. This term is more formal and literary, often appearing in poetry or classical texts rather than everyday conversation. It commonly collocates with words related to nature and physical forms.

蟠 or something close to it

盘 (pán, to plate or dish) vs 扭 (niǔ, to twist) — choose 蟠 for its specific meaning of coiling or intertwining in a natural context.

What learners get wrong

Learners may confuse 蟠 with 卷 (juǎn) due to their similar meanings related to curling. For example, saying '我蟠书' (wǒ pán shū) instead of '我卷书' (wǒ juǎn shū) to mean 'I roll up the book' is incorrect; use 卷 instead.

Write 蟠

蟠

Practice writing 蟠 stroke by stroke. Watch the animation to learn the stroke order, then try writing it yourself.

Write correctly 3 times to earn XP

Word Family of 蟠

Words Containing This Character6
蟠pánto coil
蟠桃flat peach (aka Saturn peach or donut peach)
蟠龙coiled dragon蟠龍
蟠踞to occupy illegally
虎踞龙蟠lit. where tigers crouch and dragons coil (idiom); fig. forbidding terrain虎踞龍蟠
蟠曲coiled
Exercise 1 of 4

Compound Meaning

What does 蟠 mean?

Frequently Asked Questions about 蟠

Phrases like 蟠龙 (pán lóng, coiling dragon) can be used in poetry or descriptions of movement.

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