伶 meaning and stroke order
Clever; lonely, solitary
How to write 伶, stroke by stroke
7 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
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Meaning of 伶
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- (old) actor; actress
- (meaningless bound form)
How 伶 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Person.
亻 gives the meaning and 令 hints at the sound.
Radical: 亻 (man), shared by 277 characters on this site.
How to remember 伶
A person 亻 standing beside 令 (lìng, command), which gives the sound. Picture a quick-witted person who understands every command at once, a clever performer on stage.
Today 伶 rarely appears alone. It mostly shows up in 伶俐 (línglì, clever, sharp) and in the set phrase 伶牙俐齿 (líng yá lì chǐ, glib, quick with words). Example: 这个孩子很伶俐。(Zhège háizi hěn línglì.) This child is very bright.
Common mistake: Learners often read 伶 as lìng because of the phonetic part 令, but 伶 takes the second tone, líng. Also do not confuse it with 怜 (lián, pity), which has the heart radical 忄 instead of the person radical 亻.
Common words with 伶
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 伶俐 | línglì | clever; witty; intelligent; deft; adroit |
伶 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 伶
How many strokes are in 伶?
伶 is written with 7 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 伶 mean?
伶 (líng) means clever; lonely, solitary. A common word with it is 伶俐 (línglì), meaning "clever; witty; intelligent; deft; adroit".
How do you pronounce 伶?
伶 is pronounced líng, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 伶?
The radical of 伶 is 亻, which carries the idea of "man". Dictionaries list 伶 under this radical.
Does 伶 still mean actor in modern Chinese?
Only in old or literary contexts, such as historical words for opera performers. In everyday speech, actor is 演员 (yǎnyuán).
How is 伶 connected to the meaning lonely?
That sense comes mainly from the word 伶仃 (língdīng), meaning alone and helpless, as in 孤苦伶仃 (gū kǔ líng dīng). On its own, 伶 is not used to say lonely.