巽 (xùn): Xun, the I Ching trigram of win…

Meanings

1 Xun, the I Ching trigram of wind and wood (classical)
2 compliant; yielding (classical)

Characters

巽

xùn

Xun trigram; compliant

Examples

八卦之中，巽代表风和东南。

Bāguà zhīzhōng, xùn dàibiǎo fēng hé dōngnán.

Among the eight trigrams, Xun stands for wind and the southeast.

Tips

history

巽 is not used as an everyday word in modern Chinese. It survives chiefly as one of the eight trigrams of the 易经 (representing wind, wood and the southeast) and as the phonetic in 选 and 撰.

culture

In the 易经 trigram system 巽 is the gentle, penetrating force of wind; it also names the 135° (southeast) compass point in classical geomancy.

Components

semantic

巳 sì

kneeling figure

The left top 巳 of a doubled pair; the two crouching figures over an offering depict submission, the source of the 'compliant, yielding' sense.

semantic

巳 sì

kneeling figure

The right top 巳, mirroring its twin. The repeated pair reinforces the image of two people bowing in deference above the base.

semantic

共 gòng

together; to offer with both hands

The base 共 shows offering up with both hands; under the two bowing figures it completes the picture of yielding and presenting — the original 'compliant' meaning.