How to Write 韫 (yùn) — Meaning “to contain; to hide; to store”

Think of "wrap (韦) a valuable jewel (玉, hidden inside 昷) to keep it safe." The right side 昷 looks like a box with a sun (日) over a dish (皿), so imagine putting a jade (represented by the dot) inside a leather pouch. This connects to the common word 韫玉 (hidden jade).

The left radical 韦 has three horizontal strokes; make sure the middle one is slightly shorter and the bottom one is the longest. The right side 昷 has a narrow 'sun' (日) on top and a wide 'dish' (皿) below — keep the 日 centered and the 皿 broad. A common mistake is making the whole character too wide; keep the left and right balanced.

韩 (Hán) has a different right side (韦 on left, 干 on right) and is a common surname meaning "Korea" or a vessel. 韪 (wěi) means "right; correct" and has 韦 on left with 是 on right. While 韫 also uses the 韦 radical, its right side 昷 is unique and gives the meaning of containing or hiding. Visually, 韫's right side has a lid (日) over a dish (皿), unlike the other two.

韫 is a literary character rarely used in everyday speech, but it appears in classical idioms and names. For example, 韫藏 means "to store up (knowledge or treasures)," and 韫玉 refers to hidden talent, like a jade concealed in stone. It is also found in the idiom 韫椟而藏 (hide a beautiful box away), meaning to keep one's abilities hidden.

Common words containing 韫 include: 韫藏 (yùn cáng) — to contain; to store up; 韫玉 (yùn yù) — hidden jade; concealed talent; 韫椟 (yùn dú) — to keep in a casket; to hide one's talent.