巡 meaning and stroke order
To cruise, to inspect, to patrol
How to write 巡, stroke by stroke
6 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 巡
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to patrol
- to make one's rounds
- classifier for rounds of drinks
- variant of 巡[xun2]
How 巡 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. To walk 辶 by the river 巛; 巛 also provides the pronunciation.
Radical: 巛 (stream), shared by 5 characters on this site.
How to remember 巡
The walking radical 辶 wraps around 巛 (chuān), which looks like three flowing streams. Picture a guard walking along the river banks on his rounds, and you have 巡 (xún), to patrol.
巡 usually appears in two-character words like 巡逻 (xúnluó, to patrol), 巡视 (xúnshì, to inspect), and 巡演 (xúnyǎn, to tour). It can also count rounds of drinks at a banquet. Example: 警察每天晚上在这里巡逻。(Jǐngchá měitiān wǎnshang zài zhèlǐ xúnluó.) The police patrol here every night.
Common mistake: Learners often write the inside as 川 or forget that the 辶 sweeps under the whole of 巛. Also do not confuse 巡 (xún) with 迅 (xùn, fast), which has the same walking radical but a different inner part and a fourth tone.
Common words with 巡
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 巡逻 | xúnluó | to patrol | HSK 7-9 |
| 巡警 | xúnjǐng | police patrol; patrol officer | |
| 巡演 | xúnyǎn | (theater etc) to tour; to be on tour; to give itinerant performances (abbr. for 巡迴演出|巡回演出[ | |
| 巡回 | xúnhuí | to go around; to roam; to tour | |
| 巡逻队 | xúnluóduì | (army, police) patrol | |
| 巡视 | xúnshì | to inspect (a site); (of a dignitary) to visit; to go on an inspection tour; to survey (a | |
| 巡逻车 | xúnluóchē | patrol car | |
| 巡查 | xúnchá | to patrol | |
| 巡航 | xúnháng | (military) to patrol (airspace or waters); (technical) to cruise; to maintain steady speed | |
| 巡游 | xúnyóu | to cruise; to patrol | |
| 巡回演出 | xúnhuíyǎnchū | (theater etc) to tour; to be on tour; to give itinerant performances | |
| 巡洋舰 | xúnyángjiàn | cruiser (warship); battle cruiser |
巡 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 巡
How many strokes are in 巡?
巡 is written with 6 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 巡 mean?
巡 (xún) means to cruise, to inspect, to patrol. A common word with it is 巡逻 (xúnluó), meaning "to patrol".
How do you pronounce 巡?
巡 is pronounced xún, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 巡?
The radical of 巡 is 巛, which carries the idea of "stream". Dictionaries list 巡 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 巡?
The traditional form of 巡 is 廵. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 巡 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 巡 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 巡 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 巡 used to count drinks?
At a banquet, 酒过三巡 (jiǔ guò sān xún) means the wine has gone around three times, so everyone has had several rounds. It is a set phrase often used to say a meal is well underway.
What is the difference between 巡逻 and 巡视?
巡逻 (xúnluó) is routine patrolling for security, done by police, soldiers, or guards. 巡视 (xúnshì) means inspecting a place, often by an official or leader checking on work.