弯 wān bend
bend; curve; turn
How it came to be
A bow with tangled silk over it, in the full form. A bow was the one thing everybody owned that was curved on purpose. The silk above is there for the sound.
用法
- 弯 as a noun/verb means a bend or to bend/curve; it's the everyday word used when giving directions.
- 往前拐弯 (wǎng qián guǎiwān) - turn (the corner) up ahead - 拐弯 (guǎiwān) is the go-to verb for turning at an intersection while driving or walking.
- 弯曲 (wānqū) describes something physically curved or winding, like a road or a piece of wire: 弯曲的小路 (wānqū de xiǎolù) a winding path.
- 走弯路 (zǒu wānlù) is a common metaphor for taking an inefficient, roundabout approach to a problem, not a literal curved road.