How to Write 蟠 (pán) — Meaning “Coiled”

Picture a worm (虫) curling around a flat peach (蟠桃) — the worm's body makes tight coils, matching the meaning 'coiled'. Alternatively, imagine the right side 番 as a hand turning a coil, reinforcing the idea of twisting.

Write the left radical 虫 first: vertical stroke, horizontal fold, horizontal, then vertical, lift, dot. Then the right part 番 starts with two short strokes for '采', followed by 田 at the bottom. Keep the whole character balanced — common mistakes include making the 虫 too wide or forgetting the top dot of 番.

蟠 (pán) means coiled and uses the phonetic 番. 螃 (páng) means 'crab' and uses the phonetic 旁 (side), reflecting a crab's sideways walk. 螅 (xī) refers to a small aquatic worm (like hydra) and uses 息 (breath). Visually, the right halves are completely different: 番 vs. 旁 vs. 息.

蟠 appears in words like 蟠桃 (flat peach), a fruit linked to the mythical peaches of immortality in Chinese legends, and 蟠龙 (coiled dragon), a decorative motif. The character is rare alone but carries rich cultural associations with folklore, especially the story of Sun Wukong stealing peaches from the Heavenly Peach Garden.

Common words containing 蟠 include: 蟠桃 (pán táo) — Flat peach; 蟠龙 (pán lóng) — Coiled dragon; 蟠曲 (pán qū) — Coiled and winding.