豌 (wān): pea (bound form, used in 豌豆)

Meanings

1 pea (bound form, used in 豌豆)

Characters

豌

wān

pea (in 豌豆)

Examples

炒豌豆是一道经典的春季菜肴。

Chǎo wāndòu shì yī dào jīngdiǎn de chūnjì càiyáo.

Stir-fried peas are a classic spring dish.

孟德尔通过豌豆实验发现了遗传规律。

Mèngdé'ěr tōngguò wāndòu shíyàn fāxiàn le yíchuán guīlǜ.

Mendel discovered the laws of heredity through pea experiments.

豌豆苗鲜嫩可口，是川菜中受欢迎的蔬菜。

Wāndòumiáo xiānnèn kěkǒu, shì Chuāncài zhōng shòu huānyíng de shūcài.

Pea shoots are tender, fresh, and a popular vegetable in Sichuan cuisine.

Tips

usage

wān is a bound form — it appears almost exclusively in 豌豆 (pea, Pisum sativum) and a small family of cooking compounds: 豌豆苗 (pea shoots / pea sprouts — a tender stir-fry green), 豌豆黄 (sweet pea paste, a Beijing palace snack), 青豌豆 (green peas, frozen-vegetable variety). On its own, 豌 is not used.

memory

Left 豆 (bean, originally a pictograph of a high-stemmed ritual vessel) + right 宛 (winding, supplying the wān sound) = the curved, winding bean = the pea, whose vines coil around supports. The phonetic 宛 links it to 碗 (bowl) and 婉 (graceful).

Components

radical

豆 dòu

bean; pulse

Left bean radical (Kangxi #151) — originally a pictograph of a high-stemmed ritual food-vessel, later borrowed for the bean / legume family. Files 豌 in the legume group alongside 豇 (cowpea) and 豉 (fermented soybean).

phonetic

宛 wǎn

winding; as if; supplying the sound

Right phonetic 宛 — supplies the wān reading (tone shifted from 3rd to 1st). The same phonetic anchors 碗 (bowl), 婉 (gentle, graceful), 腕 (wrist) — recognising it unlocks the whole family.