旋涡

• Pinyin: xuán wō
• Hanzi breakdown: 旋 = 方 (direction) + 疋 (foot/movement) — revolving; 涡 = 氵(water radical) + 呙 (phonetic component)

Meaning

Whirlpool; vortex; eddy. Also used metaphorically for a swirling situation or confusing entanglement from which it is difficult to escape.

In literal use, describes water or air moving in a spiral pattern. Metaphorically, refers to being caught in a complex, inescapable situation (卷入旋涡 — drawn into a vortex of trouble). Commonly used in political, social, and financial contexts.

Examples

1. 一块小木板被激流中的旋涡吸入，瞬间消失在水面之下，令站在岸边的人看得心惊肉跳。 A small wooden plank was sucked into a whirlpool in the raging current and vanished beneath the surface in an instant, leaving the people on the bank terrified.
2. 他一不小心被卷入了公司高层的权力旋涡，无论如何表态都会得罪其中一方。 Without realizing it, he got swept into a power vortex among the company’s top executives—no matter what he said, he would offend one side.
3. 股市的剧烈波动形成了一个难以预测的金融旋涡，众多散户在其中损失惨重。 The stock market’s violent swings created an unpredictable financial vortex, and many retail investors suffered heavy losses in it.

Usage Guide

Context: nature, politics, finance, metaphor

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 洪水退后，河道中出现了多处危险的旋涡，相关部门已在沿岸设置警示标志，禁止任何人下水。(After the floodwaters receded, multiple dangerous whirlpools appeared in the river channel; authorities have set up warning signs along the banks prohibiting anyone from entering the water.)
• 她早年的一次错误决策让她陷入了长达数年的法律旋涡，耗费大量精力与金钱才得以最终脱身。(An erroneous decision she made in her early years drew her into a legal vortex that lasted several years, costing her enormous energy and money before she could finally extricate herself.)

Don't Say

• 他制定了一个旋涡的计划 — 旋涡 describes circular motion or an inescapable entangled situation; for a complex plan use 复杂的计划 or 错综复杂的方案; 旋涡 cannot directly modify a noun as an attributive adjective

Origin & History

旋 (to spin/revolve) + 涡 (eddy/swirl)

Cultural Context

Era: Modern

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal