纶 (lún) · silk cord; silk thread

Meanings

1 silk cord; silk thread
2 fishing line
3 an imperial decree

Characters

纶

lún

silk cord; fishing line; (in 纶巾) read guān

Examples

HSK 7-9

锦纶是一种合成纤维。

Jǐnlún shì yī zhǒng héchéng xiānwéi.

Synthetic fiber is called 'jǐnlún' in Chinese.

HSK 7-9

诗中诸葛亮纶巾在身，从容镇定。

Shī zhōng Zhūgě Liàng guānjīn zài shēn, cóngróng zhèndìng.

In the poem Zhuge Liang appears in a turban of blue silk cord, calm and at ease.

Tips

mistakes

Read 纶 as lún in the modern fiber words 锦纶 (nylon) and 涤纶 (polyester). But in the classical term 纶巾 ('blue silk-band headscarf,' famously worn by Zhuge Liang) it is read guān, not lún.

Components

radical

纟 sī

silk (left-side radical)

Silk radical on the left, the side-form of 糸. It marks this as a thread or cord word. Same family as 线 thread, 绳 rope, 纺 to spin.

phonetic

仑 lún

order; logical arrangement

Right side 仑 supplies the sound lún directly, and carries a faint sense of 'orderly arrangement' - fitting for threads twisted neatly into cord. Same phonetic in 轮 wheel and 论 to discuss.