Dong Chinese dictionary

liàn

practice

Original meaning:

boil and scour raw silk

Phonosemantic compound. 糹 represents the meaning and 柬 represents the sound. Based on the original meaning "boil and scour raw silk" to make it softer and whiter. The meaning later shifted to "to make perfect" and "to practice". Simplified form of 練.

Components

纟 Meaning component

mì, sī

silk

纟 is a component form of 糸.

纟 hints at the original meaning of 练, " boil and scour raw silk", which is no longer the most common meaning of 练 in modern Mandarin.

柬 Sound Simplified component

jiǎn

letter

Derived from the cursive form of the traditional 柬 component.

Evolution