圈
to confine; to lock up; to pen in; livestock enclosure; pen; fold; sty; circle; ring; loop; (fig.) social circle; niche group; community; fandom; to surround; to encircle; to circle (sth); to mark with a circle
Closest English meanings
circle·ring·pen
The Calligrapher — Péi Xiū 裴休
Tang chancellor and calligrapher; author of the Guifeng Stele in regular script.
Tang calligrapher (), master of regular script — known for 《圭峰碑》. Tang dynasty
Cultural Story
:The Han emperor kept 圈 for horses and sheep beyond the passes, counted by the ten thousand. A 圈套 was the陷阱 snared in a drawn loop. In the Water Margin, outlaws are pulled into a 圈 of betrayal. The character is a fence drawn around life and property alike.
Common words & phrases
- 圆圈 circle
- 圈子 circle · group
- 圈套 trap
- 羊圈 sheep pen
- 圈地 enclose land
Read the story behind the character
The toddler draws a 圆圈 around the right answer. A work 圈子 meets off-platform to dodge the boss. The shepherd counts the 羊圈 at dusk. The ad pulls users into a 圈套 of free trials. A developer 圈地 behind a fence, claiming the empty lot.
Why this character belongs on skin
Picture the ripple a stone leaves on still water, widening until it meets the shore and returns. That ring is the oldest boundary we know—drawn not to lock something in but to mark what matters. A circle in the hand of a warrior was once a seal of allegiance; among lovers it is the silent promise of a ring. The Daoists saw the circle as the shape of the Way itself, without beginning or end, where every exit is also an entrance. To ink this is to stop running the straight line the world hands you and admit the truth: that what you loop back to is what you love. Some prisons are round, but so are the arms that hold you. Choose which circle you wear, and wear it on purpose.
Own this character
Purchase delivers the original SVG of this glyph, brushed by Péi Xiū 裴休, ready to place on skin, paper, or screen.