栏

• Pinyin: lán
• Hanzi breakdown: 栏 = 木 (wood) + 阑 variant — railing/fence/column

Meaning

Railing; fence; column (in publishing). A barrier or designated section.

Can refer to physical barriers (railings, fences, animal pens) or metaphorical sections (newspaper columns, website sections, TV program segments). Very versatile.

Examples

1. 请在指定栏内填写个人信息。 Please fill in your personal information in the designated field.
2. 她每周都在报纸上写一个专栏。 She writes a column in the newspaper every week.
3. 动物园的栏杆外站满了游客。 Tourists crowded outside the railings at the zoo.

Usage Guide

Context: forms, publishing, architecture

Tone: descriptive

Do Say

• 请填写地址栏。(Please fill in the address field.)
• 这个电视节目有个新闻栏目。(This TV program has a news segment.)

Don't Say

• 把栏和列混淆。(栏 is column/section; 列 is row/column in tables — different contexts)

Origin & History

Pictophonetic character. 木 (wood) indicates material; 阑 variant provides the sound. Originally meant wooden fence.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal