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辕 — pronunciations, definitions, and tags
HanziPinyinEnglishTags
辕yuánshafts of cartn, 14 strokes, radical 车, rank #65222, Very Hard
辕yuányamenn, 14 strokes, radical 车, rank #65222, Very Hard
辕yuánaxle; magistrate's office; surnamen, 14 strokes, radical 车, rank #65222, Very Hard
yuán(yuan2) T2
  1. 1shafts of cart
  2. 2yamen
Listen to the audio pronunciation 3 times to gain XP
March 24, 2026

辕(轅)yuán(yuan2)

The character 辕 (yuán) primarily refers to the shafts of a cart, which are the long poles that connect the front of the cart to the animals pulling it. It can also denote a magistrate's office in historical contexts. While not common in everyday conversation, it appears in literature and historical texts related to governance and transportation.

Strokes14Radical车Frequency#65222DifficultyVery Hard
Cultural Note

In ancient China, the 辕 (yuán) was crucial for governance, as magistrates would often travel to different regions with carts, emphasizing the importance of transportation in administration.

Memory Tip

Imagine a cart (车) with long shafts (辕) extending outward, connecting to a horse. Visualize the horse 'yearning' (sounds like 'yuán') to pull the cart forward, helping you remember both the sound and meaning.

Meanings of 辕

yuán(yuan2)
1shafts of cart
2yamen
Exercise 1 of 2

Listen & Choose the Meaning

Choose the correct answer:

About 辕

辕Simplified
轅Traditional
14Strokes
车Radical
名词míngcínoun (n.)Part of Speech
#65222Frequency Rank

Podcast: 辕

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Podcast: 辕

Listen to Jason & Amy break down this word for you

AI Study Notes for 辕

Usage Notes

This character is rarely used in modern spoken Chinese and is more common in literary or historical texts. Be careful not to confuse it with similar characters; it usually appears in specific contexts related to transportation or governance.

HSK Study Tips

Although 辕 is not included in the HSK levels, understanding it can enhance vocabulary related to historical governance and traditional transport. Focus on recognizing it in context rather than frequent usage.

Common Mistakes

Learners might confuse 辕 with similar characters like 轱 (gū) or 车 (chē). For example, saying '车' when referring to the shafts of a cart is incorrect; the correct term is '辕'.

AI-enhanced 2026-03-24

Pronunciation of 辕

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Etymology of 辕

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

Phonosemantic compound. 车 represents the meaning and 袁 represents the sound. Simplified form of 轅.

Memory Hint

wheel

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

Jason Etymology Detective

Case file: 辕

Phonosemantic compound. 车 represents the meaning and 袁 represents the sound. Simplified form of 轅.

  1. 1The meaning half车 carries the sense.
  2. 2The sound half袁 is there for the reading, not the meaning.
  3. 3The giveawaywheel
  4. 4On the record aspictophonetic.

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

Want the full history of 辕? 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 辕?

Decomposition of 辕

IDS Structure⿰车袁
辕Full Character
=
车Che1
left
袁Yuan2
right
Exercise 1 of 2

Identify the Components

Which of these is a component of 辕?

How to say shafts of cart in Chinese

“shafts of cart” in Chinese is辕yuán

The character 辕 (yuán) primarily refers to the shafts of a cart, which are the long poles that connect the front of the cart to the animals pulling it. It can also denote a magistrate's office in historical contexts. While not common in everyday conversation, it appears in literature and historical texts related to governance and transportation.

When to use 辕

This character is rarely used in modern spoken Chinese and is more common in literary or historical texts. Be careful not to confuse it with similar characters; it usually appears in specific contexts related to transportation or governance.

What learners get wrong

Learners might confuse 辕 with similar characters like 轱 (gū) or 车 (chē). For example, saying '车' when referring to the shafts of a cart is incorrect; the correct term is '辕'.

Write 辕

辕

Practice writing 辕 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 辕

Words Containing This Character6
南辕北辙nányuánběizhéto act in a way that defeats one's purpose (idiom)南轅北轍
轩辕Xuan Yuan, personal name of Huangdi, the Yellow Emperor 黃帝|黄帝[Huáng​dì]軒轅
辕yuányamen轅
车辕shaft (pulling a cart)車轅
轩辕氏alternative name for the Yellow Emperor 黄帝軒轅氏
驾辕to pull a carriage (of draft animal)駕轅
Exercise 1 of 4

Compound Meaning

What does 南辕北辙 mean?

Frequently Asked Questions about 辕

辕 is often found in historical texts, literature, or discussions about ancient transportation and governance.

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