How to Write 弇 (yǎn) — Meaning “to cover or hide”

Imagine two hands (廾) holding a lid (合) over a container to hide what's inside. The top part 合 looks like a cover, and the bottom hands are holding it down—so 弇 means 'to cover'.

The top part 合 must be written with a narrow opening; do not make it too wide. Common mistakes include writing the bottom 廾 with the two strokes too far apart—keep them close together under the top component.

弇 (yǎn) means 'to cover' or 'hide', while 弃 (qì) means 'to abandon' and 弄 (nòng) means 'to play with' or 'do'. Visually, 弇 has 合 on top and 廾 below, 弃 has 云 under a lid-like top, and 弄 has 王 above 廾.

弇 is very rare in everyday Chinese and is mostly found in classical texts or place names like 弇山 (a mythical mountain). You might see it in literary descriptions of narrow openings (弇口) or passes (弇中), but it is not commonly used in modern conversation.

Common words containing 弇 include: 弇口 (yǎn kǒu) — a narrow opening; 弇山 (yǎn shān) — Mount Yan (a mythical mountain); 弇中 (yǎn zhōng) — a narrow pass.