tuán
抟
spiral; circle; knead; gather
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
2 senses · 6 examplesverb
to spiral; to circle in the air; to hover
literaryLiterary and classical usage, often describing birds circling in the sky or riding the wind. Famous from Zhuangzi's description of the giant roc bird.
Dà大
péng鹏
yī一
rì日
tóng同
fēng风
qǐ起
，
tuán抟
fú扶
yáo摇
ér而
shàng上
zhě者
jiǔ九
wàn万
lǐ里
。
The giant roc rises with the wind in a single day, spiraling up the whirlwind to ninety thousand li.
Cāng苍
yīng鹰
zài在
shān山
dǐng顶
shàng上
kōng空
tuán抟
xuán旋
。
The grey eagle is circling in the sky above the mountain peak.
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Qún群
yàn雁
nán南
fēi飞
，
tuán抟
fēng风
ér而
xíng行
。
The flock of geese flies south, riding the wind.
verb
to knead; to roll into a ball; to gather together (same as 团)
archaicVariant character for 团, used in classical texts and specific dialects. Often refers to shaping clay or rice into balls.
Gǔ古
rén人
tuán抟
tǔ土
wéi为
qì器
。
Ancient people kneaded clay to make vessels.
Tā他
zhèng正
zài在
tuán抟
ní泥
zuò做
táo陶
guàn罐
。
He is kneading clay to make pottery jars.
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Hái孩
zi子
men们
bǎ把
mǐ米
fàn饭
tuán抟
chéng成
fàn饭
tuán团
。
The children rolled the rice into rice balls.