阎 yán village gate
village gate; surname
How to remember 阎: 门 door + 臽 pitfall = village gate. Grandpa swings the heavy wooden door shut at dusk and warns the kids about the muddy pitfall right outside the village gate.
Component breakdown
阎 = 门 door + 臽 pitfall
- 门 door
- 臽 pitfall
Grandpa swings the heavy wooden door shut at dusk and warns the kids about the muddy pitfall right outside the village gate.
How it is used
- Chiefly a surname today, and the name of the underworld king 阎王 (Yánwang) / 阎罗王 - the judge of the dead in Chinese folk belief.
- 阎王 shows up in vivid sayings like 阎王好见,小鬼难缠 (Yánwang hǎo jiàn, xiǎoguǐ nánchán) 'the king of hell is easy to face, it's the petty demons who are a pain' - the boss is fine, the underlings block you.
- The original 'village gate' sense is long dead.