罨 (yǎn) - To cover & to press

罨Tone 3

yǎn ｜ 13 strokes ｜ radical:

妍嬿

罨 · yǎn

To cover;

to press;

a compress;

a medical poultice;

also refers to a fishing net.

To coverto pressa compress

Usage highlights

Cold compressHerbal poulticeFishing netCover tightlyHot compressApply pressure

Synonyms

  • 敷— to apply (medicine)
  • 盖— to cover
  • 罩— to cover, to shield

Antonyms

  • 揭— to uncover, to lift
  • 露— to expose, to reveal

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • Apply a cold compress to reduce swelling (冷罨).
  • The doctor used a herbal poultice (药罨子).
  • Traditional fishing methods included using nets (罨网).
  • Cover the painting to protect it from dust (用布罨住画).

Collocations

  • Cold compress(冷罨)
  • Herbal poultice(药罨)
  • Fishing net(罨网)
  • Cover tightly(罨盖)
  • Hot compress(热罨)
  • Apply pressure(罨压)

Idioms

  • Covering heaven and earth(罨天盖地)
  • Applying compresses and taking medicine(罨敷服药)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • Used in traditional Chinese medicine for external treatments with compresses.
  • Historically used in fishing contexts, though this usage is now rare.
  • The character combines net (罒/网) and cover (奄) components, reflecting its meanings.

FAQ