焉 yān — thereupon; how; where · English

焉

yān

thereupon; how; where

At a glance · 焉

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Evolution of the glyph

Five stages, from a sketch of the real object to regular script — tap a stage, drag the timeline, or play the animation.

Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seen
Oracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCE
Seal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCE
Clerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CE
Regular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE

Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seenOracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCESeal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCEClerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CERegular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE

⚠ Some ancient forms are not attested：oracle bone form、seal script form。No excavated oracle bone / seal artifact is attested for this character yet; we leave it blank rather than fabricate.

「焉」本为鸟名（黄鸟），象形。古人借作兼词与语气词，虚化为「于此」「怎么」等义。小篆承古形，隶楷作「焉」。属假借。

What the sketch shows

Origins & notes

本义为鸟，借为虚词（兼词、语气词）。

Structure

假借字，本为鸟名（象形），借作虚词使用。

At a glance

Pinyinyān

Radical灬

Strokes11

UnicodeU+7109

Character type假借

Theme虚词

Six languages, one character

Each page offers hreflang versions; switching language keeps the glyphs and meanings aligned.

English thereupon; how; where Thereupon, then; how, why, or where.

Français alors; comment; où Alors, ensuite ; comment, pourquoi ou où.

Español entonces; cómo; dónde Entonces, luego ; cómo, por qué o dónde.

العربية ثمّ؛ كيف؛ أين ثمّ أو كيف أو أين.

Русский тогда; как; где Тогда, затем ; как, почему или где.

Common words

焉yānparticle
焉yānhow/where

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