偃 (yǎn): to lie supine

Meanings

1 to lie supine
2 to cease
3 to lay down
4 Yan (surname)

Characters

偃

yǎn

to lie supine; to cease; to lay down

Examples

HSK 6

大风中，野草都偃倒在地。

Dàfēng zhōng, yěcǎo dōu yǎn dǎo zài dì.

In the strong wind the grass all bent and lay flat.

HSK 7-9

军队胜利后偃旗息鼓，暗中休整。

Jūnduì shènglì hòu yǎnqí-xīgǔ, ànzhōng xiūzhěng.

After the army won, they furled the banners and stopped the drums to rest secretly.

Tips

usage

偃 is literary; most learners meet it in 偃旗息鼓 ('to lower the flags and silence the drums' - to call off an action or back down quietly). It is also a rare surname.

Components

radical

亻 rén

person

亻 is the left-side form of the person radical 人. It points to a human action - here, lying down or laying something to rest.

phonetic

匽 yǎn

to hide; to lie down (phonetic)

匽 gives the exact sound yǎn and also hints at the meaning, since it itself carries a 'concealed, lying low' sense - a tidy phono-semantic match.

Stroke Order

偃 yǎn

Related Words

偃旗息鼓 yǎnqí-xīgǔ #78,335

to lower the flags and still the drums / to cease fighting; to call off an action / to give up or back down quietly

倒下 dǎoxià HSK 7-9 #4,263

to fall down / to collapse / to be struck down

打倒 dǎdǎo HSK 7-9 #5,212

to overthrow / to knock down / down with

陈 chén #3,754

Chen (surname) / to display / to lay out / old; stale

倒数 dàoshǔ HSK 7-9 #4,209

to count backwards; to count down / inverse number; reciprocal (math)

编排 biānpái HSK 7-9 #5,284

to arrange / to lay out / to choreograph / to organize in sequence

封锁 fēngsuǒ HSK 7-9 #3,269

to blockade; to seal off / to lock down

暴露 bàolù HSK 6 #3,065

to expose; to reveal; to lay bare / to be exposed to (elements, danger)

拆 chāi HSK 5 #2,992

to tear open; to open (a package/letter) / to tear down; to demolish / to dismantle; to take apart

崩溃 bēngkuì HSK 7-9 #2,688

to collapse; to fall apart; to break down / to have a (mental/emotional) breakdown