chuān
wear
Original meaning:
bore a hole
Alludes to creating a hole (穴) with one's teeth (牙). Based on the original meaning "bore a hole". The meaning later expanded to "pass through" and "wear".
Evolution

Seal script
Shuowen (~100 AD)
Clerical script
Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)Regular script
ModernDefinitions
chuān
penetrate, pierce, drill; wear; to wear; to put on; to dress; to bore through; to pierce; to perforate; to penetrate; to pass through; to thread
Most common words with 穿
Freq. | Word | Meaning |
---|---|---|
to wear | ||
to pass through | ||
to pass through | ||
to put on (clothes etc) | ||
attire |
Sources