缠

• Pinyin: chán
• Hanzi breakdown: 缠 = 纟(thread) + 廛 (phonetic)

Meaning

To wind around; to entangle; to pester. To coil around something or to persistently bother someone.

Has physical meaning (缠绕, to wind/coil) and figurative meaning (缠住不放, to pester relentlessly; 纠缠, to be entangled in a difficult situation). Common in everyday speech and literary descriptions.

Examples

1. 爬山虎的藤蔓紧紧缠绕在老墙上，年复一年地蔓延生长。 Boston ivy vines wind tightly around the old wall, spreading year after year.
2. 这孩子缠着妈妈要买玩具，在商场里大哭大闹了将近半个小时。 The child pestered his mother to buy a toy, crying and making a scene in the shopping centre for nearly half an hour.
3. 这桩官司将双方缠了整整三年，耗尽了大量的人力和财力。 This lawsuit entangled both parties for a full three years, exhausting enormous human and financial resources.

Usage Guide

Context: everyday, nature, relationships, legal, literature

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 不要总是缠着别人问问题，学会独立思考才是关键。(Don't constantly pester others with questions — learning to think independently is the key.)
• 这条蛇将猎物牢牢缠住，直至猎物无力挣脱。(The snake coiled tightly around its prey until it was too weak to break free.)

Don't Say

• 他缠了那个项目。(缠 does not mean 'to take on or complete a project'; use 承接了 or 负责了)

Origin & History

缠 = 纟(silk/thread) + 廛 (phonetic). The thread radical conveys wrapping and coiling.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal