儒 meaning and stroke order
Confucian scholar
How to write 儒, stroke by stroke
16 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
- 11
- 12
- 13
- 14
- 15
- 16
Meaning of 儒
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- scholar
- Confucian
How 儒 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Person.
亻 gives the meaning and 需 hints at the sound.
Radical: 亻 (man), shared by 277 characters on this site.
How to remember 儒
儒 is a person 亻 next to 需 (xū), which gives the sound. Picture a person 亻 whom society needs 需 for learning and guidance: the Confucian scholar.
儒 rarely stands alone in modern Chinese. It appears mostly in words about Confucian thought, such as 儒家 (Rújiā) and 儒学 (rúxué). Example: 儒家思想影响很大。(Rújiā sīxiǎng yǐngxiǎng hěn dà.) Confucian thought has had a great influence.
Common mistake: Learners often read 儒 as xū because of the phonetic part 需, but it is pronounced rú with a rising second tone. Also do not confuse it with 濡 (rú, to moisten), which has the water radical 氵 instead of the person radical 亻.
Common words with 儒
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
儒 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 儒
How many strokes are in 儒?
儒 is written with 16 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 儒 mean?
儒 (rú) means Confucian scholar. A common word with it is 儒家 (Rújiā), meaning "Confucian school, founded by Confucius 孔子[Kong3 zi3] (551-479 BC) and Mencius 孟子[Meng4 zi3".
How do you pronounce 儒?
儒 is pronounced rú, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 儒?
The radical of 儒 is 亻, which carries the idea of "man". Dictionaries list 儒 under this radical.
Is 儒 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 儒 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
Why does 侏儒 (zhūrú) mean dwarf if 儒 means scholar?
In 侏儒 the character is part of a fixed two-syllable word, and its meaning is not the scholar sense. Learn 侏儒 as a whole word meaning a person with dwarfism. It can sound rude, so be careful using it about real people.
Does 儒 appear in any common descriptive words?
Yes. 儒雅 (rúyǎ) describes someone refined and scholarly in manner. It is a compliment, often used for educated, gentle men.