关
guān
mountain pass
surname Guan; to close; to shut; to turn off; to confine; to lock (sb) up; to shut (sb in a room, a bird in a cage etc); to concern; to involve
two hands (丷) pulling shut the sky (天) = close, shut, confine
天 (sky/heaven) sits below 丷, which evokes two hands pulling a bar down across a gate — closing off the heavens above a mountain pass. The imagery of sealing something shut gives 关 its core sense of closing and confinement.
Words with 关
进关
jìn guān
inbound customs (international trade)
过五关斩六将
guò wǔ guān zhǎn liù jiàng
lit. to cross five passes and slay six generals (idiom)
过度关怀
guò dù guān huái
obsession
过关
guò guān
to cross a barrier
过关斩将
guò guān zhǎn jiàng
to surmount all difficulties (on the way to success) (idiom) (abbr. for 過五關斬六將|过五关斩六将[guo4 wu3 guan1 zhan3 liu4 jiang4])
递推关系
dì tuī guān xì
(math.) recurrence relation
边关
biān guān
border station
重机关枪
zhòng jī guān qiāng
also written 重機槍|重机枪
金融机关
jīn róng jī guān
financial organization
闭关
bì guān
to close the passes
闭关政策
bì guān zhèng cè
closed-door policy
闭关自守
bì guān zì shǒu
close the country to international intercourse