奄 meaning and stroke order
To remain, to tarry; feeble
How to write 奄, 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.
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- 8
Meaning of 奄
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- suddenly
- abruptly
- hastily
- to cover
- to surround
- variant of 閹|阉[yan1]
- to castrate
- variant of 淹[yan1]
- to delay
How 奄 is built
Components of the character.
Radical: 大 (big), shared by 46 characters on this site.
How to remember 奄
Picture a big person 大 (dà) standing over a spark of electricity 电 (diàn), covering it until only a feeble flicker is left. That fading flicker is the feeling of 奄 (yǎn): weak, barely holding on.
Today 奄 almost only appears in the fixed phrase 奄奄一息 (yǎnyǎnyīxī), meaning at one's last breath. Example: 他被救出来时已经奄奄一息。(Tā bèi jiù chūlái shí yǐjīng yǎnyǎnyīxī.) When he was rescued, he was already at his last gasp.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 奄 with 淹 (yān, to flood or drown) or 掩 (yǎn, to cover), which add a water or hand radical. In 奄奄一息 use the bare 奄 with no side radical, and say yǎn with the third tone.
Common words with 奄
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 奄奄一息 | yǎnyǎnyīxī | dying; at one's last gasp |
奄 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 奄
Learning 奄 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 奄
How many strokes are in 奄?
奄 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 奄 mean?
奄 (yǎn) means to remain, to tarry; feeble. A common word with it is 奄奄一息 (yǎnyǎnyīxī), meaning "dying; at one's last gasp".
How do you pronounce 奄?
奄 is pronounced yǎn, in the third tone (dipping).
What is the radical of 奄?
The radical of 奄 is 大, which carries the idea of "big". Dictionaries list 奄 under this radical.
Why does 奄 have two pronunciations, yǎn and yān?
In most modern use it is read yǎn, as in 奄奄一息. The yān reading is an old variant use, standing in for 阉 (to castrate) or 淹 (to delay), and you will rarely meet it outside classical texts.
Can 奄奄一息 describe things other than people?
Yes. It can describe animals, and figuratively a business, project, or tradition that is barely surviving. For example, a struggling company can be called 奄奄一息的公司.