àn

犴

Character · Noun

legendary beast; prison

Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma

Meanings

2 senses · 2 examples
1.

noun

a legendary beast

archaic

The primary modern usage is in the name of the legendary beast '狴犴'. It is an archaic term and rarely used independently.

Zhōng中
guó国
gǔ古
dài代
shén神
huà话
zhōng中
yǒu有
yī一
zhǒng种
shén神
shòu兽
jiào叫
bì狴
àn犴
 。

In ancient Chinese mythology, there is a divine beast called 'Bian'.

2.

noun

prison; jail (by extension)

archaic

Because '狴犴' was often depicted on ancient prison gates, the character '犴' by itself can poetically or archaically refer to a prison.

Gǔ古
wén文
zhōng中
yǒu有
shí时
yòng用
‘‘
àn犴
 ’
lái来
zhǐ指
dài代
jiān监
yù狱
 。

In classical texts, '犴' is sometimes used to refer to a prison.