缠 (chán): to wind around

Meanings

1 to wind around
2 to wrap
3 to tangle
4 to pester

Characters

缠

chán

to wind; to wrap; to pester

Examples

HSK 3

小孩子总是缠着妈妈。

Xiǎoháizi zǒngshì chán zhe māma.

The little kid always pesters his mom.

HSK 7-9

绳子缠在一起了。

Shéngzi chán zài yīqǐ le.

The ropes got tangled together.

HSK 7-9

她把丝带缠在手上。

Tā bǎ sīdài chán zài shǒushàng.

She wound the ribbon around her hand.

Tips

usage

缠 has both physical (to wind/wrap) and figurative (to pester/nag) meanings. 缠着 + person = pestering someone.

memory

The 纟 (silk) radical hints at wrapping thread around something - the core meaning of winding/tangling.

Components

radical

纟 sī

silk; thread (radical)

Left radical 纟 is the simplified side-form of 糸 (silk thread). Marks 缠 as something done with thread or rope: the act of wrapping, winding, tangling. Same radical anchors the textile and binding family - 红 (red), 线 (line), 织 (weave), 绑 (tie), 结 (knot), 绕 (wind around).

phonetic

㢆 chán

to enclose under a roof (phonetic)

Right phonetic 㢆 (the simplified form of 廛, 'building plot, dwelling enclosure') supplies the full sound chán with no drift. The traditional 纏 used the more elaborate 廛 here. The combination pictures threads winding round and round inside an enclosure - exactly the modern senses 'wind, wrap, tangle, pester'.