磐 (pán) · large rock, boulder, firm and stable (like a rock)

Meanings

1 large rock
2 boulder
3 firm and stable (like a rock)

Characters

磐

pán

large rock; firm

Examples

HSK 4

他们的友谊坚如磐石。

Tāmen de yǒuyì jiānrúpánshí.

Their friendship is as solid as a rock.

HSK 7-9

磐石之上建起了寺庙。

Pánshí zhīshàng jiàn qǐ le sìmiào.

A temple was built upon the great rock.

Tips

usage

磐 is most commonly seen in the compound 磐石, a large immovable boulder used figuratively for unshakeable stability or resolve.

Components

radical

石 shí

stone

Bottom stone radical - pictograph of a rock under a cliff overhang. The indexing radical, doing the heavy lifting: 磐 is a large solid boulder, the immovable rock behind the figurative 'firm foundation' senses (坚如磐石 'solid as a boulder'). The stone radical also appears in 碎 to shatter, 砌 to lay bricks.

phonetic

般 bān

sort; kind

Top 般 supplies the sound: bān to pán with b/p alternation and tone shift. 般 itself is boat 舟 + hand-with-staff 殳 - 'to turn a boat with a pole.' The 'massive movable thing' nuance survives here: 磐石 is a boulder, a rock-of-ages metaphor. Same phonetic 般 also gives 搬 to move, 盘 platter.