渦

Phono-semantic compound composed of:

水 (물 수) — semantic element, indicating relation to water or liquid.

咼 (입 비뚤어질 괘) — phonetic element, providing the sound wa and connoting distortion, bending, or deviation.

Shuowen Jiezi (說文解字):

「渦，水旋流也。从水，咼聲。」

“渦 means water circling in rotation. Composed of 水 (water) and 咼 (phonetic).”

Thus, the character literally depicts spinning water, both in its shape and sound.

Semantic development:

Literal meaning: swirling water — a whirlpool or eddy.

Physical extension: swirling motion in air, fire, or energy (as in modern scientific terms).

Metaphorical sense: confusion, turmoil, or entanglement of events, emotions, or politics.

For example:

政治渦中 (정치 와중) — “in the vortex of politics”

情感渦旋 (정감 와선) — “emotional whirl”

渦 is mainly used in both literal and figurative contexts related to circular movement or chaotic situations.

渦中 (와중) — in the midst (of chaos, events); literally “in the vortex”

漩渦 (선와) — whirlpool, vortex

渦流 (와류) — eddy current, swirling flow

渦輪 (와륜) — vortex ring, spiral current

渦旋 (와선) — spiral motion

渦電流 (와전류) — eddy current (in physics)

In literature, 渦 often symbolizes chaotic motion, emotional turbulence, or irresistible attraction — the way one is “drawn into the whirlpool” of fate or passion.

《楚辭》 (Li Sao):

「江渦激湍，思心如轉。」

“The river’s whirlpool rushes and spins, just as my thoughts turn endlessly.”

《文選》 (Liang Zhangju):

「舟行江心，見水渦轉石。」

“As the boat moved through the river’s heart, I saw the water whirl about a stone.”

In Daoist texts, 渦 sometimes represents the dynamic flow of the Dao, where opposing currents merge and rotate in balance — illustrating movement within stillness, and stillness within movement.

Modern and scientific usage:

In modern Chinese, Japanese, and Korean, 渦 is used in physics and engineering to describe vortex motion, especially in fluids and electromagnetism.

渦流 (와류 / huíliú / うずながれ) — eddy current

渦電流 (와전류 / huídiànliú) — eddy current (in metal under magnetic influence)

渦輪 (와륜 / guālún) — vortex ring, turbine

Symbolic interpretation:

The 渦 embodies cyclical motion and irresistible pull — symbol of both creation and destruction, order and chaos.

It mirrors the natural flow of water and energy in the cosmos: ever-spinning, never still, yet maintaining harmony through its own motion.

「萬物之生，皆出於渦而歸於靜。」

“All things arise from the vortex and return to stillness.”

In this philosophical sense, 渦 represents the dynamic core of transformation, where movement gives birth to form and form returns to movement — the eternal circulation of existence.