扇 shàn fan
fan; to flap; door panel; to slap
How it came to be
A single door-leaf, with feathers drawn under it. A fan swings on a pivot like a door, and it is made of feathers. The character shows those two facts and nothing else.
How it is used
- 扇 is a noun for fan (扇子 shànzi, the object you wave), but it's also an important measure word for flat, hinged objects: doors and windows.
- 一扇门 (yí shàn mén), one door; 一扇窗户 (yí shàn chuānghu), one window: this measure-word use is worth memorizing on its own.
- As a verb, 扇 means to flap/fan, e.g. 扇风 (shān fēng) to fan oneself: note the verb reading is shān, a tone/reading shift from the noun shàn.