偵 meaning and stroke order
To spy, to reconnoiter; detective
How to write 偵, stroke by stroke
11 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 偵
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to scout
- to spy
- to detect
How 偵 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Person.
亻 gives the meaning and 貞 hints at the sound.
Radical: 亻 (man), shared by 277 characters on this site.
How to remember 偵
偵 is a person 亻 next to 貞 (zhēn), which gives the sound. Picture a person standing beside something to examine it closely, the way a detective or scout does.
偵 is the traditional form of 侦 and almost always appears in compounds such as 偵探 (zhēntàn, detective) and 偵察 (zhēnchá, to scout). It is used for police work, military reconnaissance, and detection by machines. Example: 他是一個有名的偵探。(Tā shì yí gè yǒumíng de zhēntàn.) He is a famous detective.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 偵 with 貞 (zhēn, chaste, loyal) or 楨 (zhēn), since they share the same sound and phonetic part. Remember that the person radical 亻 marks the one about spying and investigating. Another trap is mixing up 偵察 and 偵查. 偵察 is military scouting. 偵查 is a criminal investigation.
Common words with 偵
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
Questions about 偵
How many strokes are in 偵?
偵 is written with 11 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 偵 mean?
偵 (zhēn) means to spy, to reconnoiter; detective. A common word with it is 侦察 (zhēnchá), meaning "to investigate a crime; to scout".
How do you pronounce 偵?
偵 is pronounced zhēn, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 偵?
The radical of 偵 is 亻, which carries the idea of "man". Dictionaries list 偵 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 偵?
偵 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 侦, used in mainland China and Singapore.
What is the difference between 偵察 and 偵查?
Both are read zhēnchá. 偵察 usually means military reconnaissance, as in 偵察機 (spy plane). 偵查 is the legal term for police or prosecutors investigating a crime.
Can 偵 be used alone as a verb?
Rarely. In modern Chinese it is almost always part of a two-character word like 偵探, 偵測 or 偵破. On its own it sounds literary.