Everyday use is the literary 'as if' word 宛如 and 宛然. Note two other readings: as a surname it is Wǎn, and in the ancient Central Asian state name 大宛 (Ferghana) it is read Yuān.
The roof radical on top originally pictured grass bending and curling under a roof; this gave the early meaning 'to bend, wind around', which survives in the 'tortuous' sense.
