yuán

low wall

Phonosemantic compound. represents the meaning and represents the sound.

Components
土 meaning component

  Meaning component

  

earth

亘 sound component

  Sound component

gènxuān

  

turn around, turn back

Evolution

垣 Bronze script Late Warring States (~250 BC)

Bronze script

Late Warring States (~250 BC)
垣 Seal script Shuowen (~100 AD)

Seal script

Shuowen (~100 AD)
垣 Clerical script Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Clerical script

Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)
垣 Regular script Modern

Regular script

Modern
Definitions

 

yuán

low wall; wall

Most common words with 垣
Freq.
Word
Meaning

wall

残垣断壁

crumbling fences and dilapidated walls (idiom)

城垣

city wall

长垣

Changyuan county in Xinxiang 新鄉|新乡[Xīn​xiāng], Henan

墙垣

wall