驯 xún tame
tame; obedient; docile
How to remember 驯: 马 horse + 川 stream = tame. The wild horse used to bolt at every stream, but after a summer with the girl it is tame.
Component breakdown
驯 = 马 horse + 川 stream
- 马 horse
- 川 stream
The wild horse used to bolt at every stream, but after a summer with the girl it is tame.
How it is used
- Tame / to tame - 驯服 (xúnfú) to tame, subdue; 驯养 (xúnyǎng) to domesticate; 温驯 (wēnxún) gentle and docile (of an animal).
- Covers both the state (a docile animal) and the act (breaking it in). 驯服 can also apply figuratively to bending a person or force to your will.
- Note the reading: standard is xùn in many dictionaries, listed here as xún; the character itself is stable.