劾 meaning and stroke order
To look into; to impeach, to charge
How to write 劾, stroke by stroke
8 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
Meaning of 劾
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to impeach
How 劾 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Strength.
力 gives the meaning and 亥 hints at the sound.
Radical: 力 (strength), shared by 44 characters on this site.
How to remember 劾
劾 combines 亥 (hài), which gives the sound, with 力 (lì, strength), which hints at the meaning. Picture the force of the people pushing an official out of power: strength on the right, the sound hé from 亥 on the left.
劾 almost never appears alone in modern Chinese. It is used mainly in the formal word 弹劾 (tánhé), meaning to impeach an official, which you will see in news and political writing. Example: 国会投票弹劾总统。(Guóhuì tóupiào tánhé zǒngtǒng.) Parliament voted to impeach the president.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 劾 with 刻 (kè, to carve), because both have 亥 on the left. 刻 has the knife radical 刂 on the right, while 劾 has 力. Also remember the tone. 亥 is read hài, but 劾 is hé with a rising second tone.
Common words with 劾
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 弹劾 | tánhé | to impeach (an official) |
劾 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 劾
How many strokes are in 劾?
劾 is written with 8 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 劾 mean?
劾 (hé) means to look into; to impeach, to charge. A common word with it is 弹劾 (tánhé), meaning "to impeach (an official)".
How do you pronounce 劾?
劾 is pronounced hé, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 劾?
The radical of 劾 is 力, which carries the idea of "strength". Dictionaries list 劾 under this radical.
What is the difference between 弹劾 and 起诉?
弹劾 (tánhé) is a political process for removing or charging a public official, usually by a legislature. 起诉 (qǐsù) means to sue or prosecute in a court of law and can apply to anyone.
Is 弹 in 弹劾 pronounced dàn or tán?
In 弹劾 it is pronounced tán, the same reading as in 弹琴 (tánqín, to play the piano). The reading dàn means a bullet or bomb and is not used here.