潺

A phono-semantic compound composed of:

水 (water) — semantic component, indicates liquid or flowing water.

孱 (weak; feeble; slight) — phonetic component, supplies the sound "jan" and contributes the nuance of weakness or smallness.

Together, the character depicts water flowing weakly and continuously, i.e. a soft, gentle stream rather than a rushing current.

潺 originally describes the quiet, continuous sound of shallow water, such as small stream over stones, water trickling in a narrow channel.

The emphasis is on sound and texture, not volume or force.

The meaning of 潺 remained relatively stable, expanding only slightly:

- gentle flowing water — physical description of streams;

- auditory imagery — soft murmuring or babbling sound;

- literary metaphor — calm continuity; subtle movement; quiet passage of time.

Unlike many water characters, 潺 did not generalize into broad “river” or “flood” meanings.

In Korean, 潺 is glossed as ‘물졸졸흐를’, directly reflecting its onomatopoeic nature.

The reduplicated form 潺潺 is far more common than the single character.

潺 is primarily aesthetic and descriptive, rarely technical.

潺 emphasizes gentleness and continuity, not speed.

Often contrasted with:

湍 — rapid current

洪 — flood

The character belongs to a group of sound-symbolic water characters.

Related characters:

水 — water

流 — to flow

涓 — small stream; trickle

湧 — to gush

澗 — mountain stream

Among these, 潺 most strongly conveys auditory softness and gentle motion, rather than physical scale.

Classical / literary usage:

潺潺不息 — “Murmuring on without cease”

石間潺水 — “Water murmuring among the rocks”