沅

Phono-semantic compound:

水 — semantic component, indicates “water,” used for river names

元 — phonetic component, provides the sound yuan / won

Thus the character literally means “the river called Yuan.”

沅 appears frequently in geographical classics and poetic couplets describing southern landscapes.

원강 (沅江) — Yuan River

원수 (沅水) — Yuan River (alternative name)

In personal names, 沅 may be used with the meaning “from the Yuan River,” symbolizing purity or depth.

沅 most commonly refers to 沅江 (Yuan River).

A major tributary of the Yangtze flowing through Hunan Province, often paired with the Xiang River in literature:

沅湘 (“Yuan and Xiang”) — a poetic metonym for Hunan region

Widely used in Tang and Song poetry.

沅 belongs to a large class of ancient river-name characters formed with 水 + phonetic element (e.g., 沔, 沱, 沘, 洙, 洛).

Graphically stable with no major historical variants.

Classical citations:

《楚辭·九歌》 (Songs of Chu)

「與女遊兮湘沅。」

“With you I wander along the Xiang and Yuan rivers.”

《山海經》 (Classic of Mountains and Seas)

「沅水出重華之山。」

“The Yuan River issues from Mount Chonghua.”

《水經》 (Shuijing – Classic of Waterways)

「沅水東南流。」

“The Yuan River flows to the southeast.”