豌 (wān) · pea

Meanings

1 pea

Characters

豌

wān

pea (in 豌豆)

Examples

HSK 7-9

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.

HSK 7-9

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.

HSK 7-9

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.