熨 is a polyphonic character, pronounced as yùn or yù. When pronounced as yùn, it refers to a metal tool used to iron and smooth clothing after they have been heated, known as "iron"; when pronounced as yù, it means a peaceful and contented mood. Common phrases with 熨 include "熨斗" (iron, a metal tool used to iron clothes) and "熨平" (the state of a newly ironed piece of clothing being smooth and creased).
Chinese Characters:
Chinese characters, also known as Chinese language or Chinese script, are graphical symbols used to represent the Chinese language. They are morphemic and syllabic characters that belong to the category of logographic writing system. They are one of the oldest writing systems in the world, with a history of over six thousand years. Over time, Chinese characters have evolved from pictograms to ideograms, and from complex forms to simplified forms. The principles of character formation have shifted from representing form and meaning to representing sound.
With the exception of a very small number of Chinese characters (such as 瓩、兛、兣、呎、嗧, etc.), each Chinese character represents one syllable. It is worth noting that countries such as Japan, the Korean Peninsula, and Vietnam have been deeply influenced by Chinese culture and even borrowed Chinese characters in their languages.
Modern Chinese characters refer to the standardized forms of Chinese characters, including traditional characters and simplified characters. Modern Chinese characters have evolved from oracle bone script, bronze inscriptions, large seal script (zhòu wén), small seal script, clerical script, cursive script, regular script, and running script, etc. Chinese characters were invented and improved by the ancestors of the Han ethnic group and serve as an essential link in maintaining the various dialect areas of the Han people. The earliest surviving Chinese characters are the oracle bone script from the Shang Dynasty around 1300 BC and later bronze inscriptions. They evolved into zhòu wén during the Western Zhou Dynasty, and then became small seal script and clerical script during the Qin Dynasty. During the Han and Wei Dynasties, clerical script prevailed and gradually became regular script. Regular script flourished during the Wei, Jin, Northern and Southern Dynasties and is still in use today.