关關 guān — to close, to shut; to turn off; to concern, to involve; a pass, a barrier, a customs post
Traditional: 關
to close, to shut; to turn off; to concern, to involve; a pass, a barrier, a customs post
Pinyin
- guān (first tone, high and level)
to close, to shut; to turn off; to concern, to involve; a pass, a barrier, a customs post
Character breakdown
Ideographic description
⿱丷天The sequence reads left to right and describes how the parts are arranged.
- 丷shape partno entry yetTwo short strokes standing in for the twisted cord and crossbar that fastened the traditional gate 關.
- 天shape partNot the word "sky". These four strokes are the rest of the fastening, redrawn as a familiar shape when the gate 門 was removed.
Mnemonic
The traditional 關 shows a gate 門 with the bar and the cord that lock it. Simplification kept only the fastening and threw the gate away, which is why the modern six strokes look like a sky under two dots and why the character is left unfiled here. Everyday: 关门, 关上, 关灯 — and 关系, a relationship, literally what ties two parties together.
A memory aid written by HSK Guide editors. It is not an etymology and does not describe the historical origin of the character.
Words containing 关
- 关系關係guānxi (first tone, high and level)relationship, ties (between people)
- 关關guān (first tone, high and level)to close, to shut
- 关于關於guānyú (first tone, high and level)about, concerning, on the subject of
- 关键關鍵guānjiàn (first tone, high and level)key point, crux; crucial, critical
- 关心關心guānxīn (first tone, high and level)to care about, to be concerned for
- 没关系沒關係méi (second tone, rising) guānxi (first tone, high and level)it doesn’t matter, never mind