冗 meaning and stroke order
Excessive; superfluous
How to write 冗, stroke by stroke
4 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
Meaning of 冗
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- extraneous
- redundant
- superfluous
- busy schedule
- variant of 冗[rong3]
How 冗 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. A cover-cloth 冖 on a table 几.
Radical: 冖 (cover), shared by 14 characters on this site.
How to remember 冗
Picture a cover cloth 冖 thrown over a small table 几 that nobody uses anymore. The table is extra furniture, so it gets covered up as something superfluous.
冗 (rǒng) is a formal, written character that rarely stands alone. It appears mostly in compounds like 冗长 (rǒngcháng, long and tedious) and 冗余 (rǒngyú, redundant). Example: 这篇文章太冗长了。(Zhè piān wénzhāng tài rǒngcháng le.) This article is too long-winded.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 冗 with 沉 (chén), which has the same 冖 and 几 shape on the right but adds the water radical 氵. Also watch the tone. 冗 is third tone rǒng, not second tone róng like 容.
Common words with 冗
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 冗长 | rǒngcháng | long and tedious; redundant | HSK 7-9 |
冗 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 冗
Learning 冗 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 冗
How many strokes are in 冗?
冗 is written with 4 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 冗 mean?
冗 (rǒng) means excessive; superfluous. A common word with it is 冗长 (rǒngcháng), meaning "long and tedious; redundant".
How do you pronounce 冗?
冗 is pronounced rǒng, in the third tone (dipping).
What is the radical of 冗?
The radical of 冗 is 冖, which carries the idea of "cover". Dictionaries list 冗 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 冗?
The traditional form of 冗 is 宂. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 冗 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 冗 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 冗 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What does 冗余 mean in tech contexts?
冗余 (rǒngyú) means redundancy. In computing it often has a positive sense, such as backup systems or duplicate data kept for safety, while in writing it means unnecessary repetition.
Can 冗 mean busy?
Yes, in literary phrases it can refer to a heavy load of affairs, as in 冗务 (rǒngwù, miscellaneous tasks) or 拨冗 (bōrǒng, to take time out of a busy schedule). 拨冗 is a polite word used in formal invitations, asking someone to make time to attend.