塵 meaning and stroke order
Cinders, ashes, dust, dirt
How to write 塵, stroke by stroke
14 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 塵
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- dust
- dirt
- earth
How 塵 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. Dust 土 kicked up by a fleeing deer 鹿.
Radical: 土 (soil), shared by 183 characters on this site.
How to remember 塵
A deer 鹿 runs across the earth 土 and kicks up a cloud of dust. Picture the deer on top and the dirt it stirs up below to remember 塵 (chén), dust.
塵 is the traditional form, while mainland China writes 尘. It appears mostly in compound words like 灰尘 (huīchén) and 尘土 (chéntǔ) rather than alone. Example: 桌子上都是灰尘。(Zhuōzi shang dōu shì huīchén.) The table is covered in dust.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 尘 (chén) with 生 (shēng) or forget it is second tone, saying chēn or chěn. Also, the traditional 塵 has 鹿 on top, so do not confuse it with 麈 (zhǔ), which has 主 under 鹿.
Common words with 塵
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 灰塵 | huīchén | dust | HSK 7-9 |
| 塵土 | chéntǔ | dust | |
| 塵埃 | chén'āi | dust | |
| 吸塵器 | xīchénqì | vacuum cleaner | |
| 塵世 | chénshì | (religion) this mortal life; the mundane world | |
| 沙塵暴 | shāchénbào | sand and dust storm | |
| 塵埃落定 | Chén'āiluòdìng | lit. the dust has settled (idiom); fig. to get sorted out | |
| 後塵 | hòuchén | lit. trailing dust; fig. sb's footsteps | |
| 一塵不染 | yīchénbùrǎn | (idiom) untainted by even a speck of dust; spotlessly clean; (of a person) honest; incorru |
Questions about 塵
How many strokes are in 塵?
塵 is written with 14 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 塵 mean?
塵 (chén) means cinders, ashes, dust, dirt. A common word with it is 灰尘 (huīchén), meaning "dust".
How do you pronounce 塵?
塵 is pronounced chén, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 塵?
The radical of 塵 is 土, which carries the idea of "soil". Dictionaries list 塵 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 塵?
塵 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 尘, used in mainland China and Singapore.
Why does the simplified form 尘 look so different from 塵?
The simplified 尘 is built from 小 (small) over 土 (earth), suggesting tiny bits of earth. It keeps the same meaning and pronunciation but replaces the deer with an easier idea.
What does 步人后尘 mean?
It literally means to walk in someone's trailing dust, from 后尘 (hòuchén). It describes following in someone's footsteps, often with a sense of copying them or repeating their mistakes.