匝 (zā): full circuit; one complete turn…

Meanings

1 full circuit; one complete turn or loop (literary measure word)
2 to encircle; to go around (literary verb)

Characters

匝

zā

to encircle; full circuit

Examples

HSK 6

绕了一匝之后，他回到原点。

Rào le yī zā zhīhòu, tā huídào yuándiǎn.

After going around one full circuit, he returned to the starting point.

HSK 7-9

四匝的城墙保护着古老的城市。

Sì zā de chéngqiáng bǎohù zhe gǔlǎo de chéngshì.

Four concentric rings of city walls protected the ancient city.

Tips

register

匝 is a classical/literary word rarely used in modern spoken Chinese. It appears in historical texts and poetry. In modern contexts, 圈 is preferred for 'loop' or 'circle'.

Components

radical

匚 fāng

right-opening container (Kangxi radical #22)

Outer C-shape - Kangxi radical #22, picturing a box or trough open on the right. Indexes 匝 in the container family with 区 area, 医 doctor, 匠 craftsman. The wraparound shape carries the core image: something that encircles, a single loop or full revolution.

semantic

巾 jīn

cloth; towel

Inside 巾 - pictograph of a hanging cloth or kerchief, here completing the enclosed shape. Together with 匚 the character pictures a cloth folded and wrapped one full turn around something, giving 匝 its core meaning: 'a full loop, one round, encircling.'