弦 meaning and stroke order
Bow string; string of musical instrument; watchspring
How to write 弦, 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 弦
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- bow string
- string of musical instrument
- watchspring
- chord (segment of curve)
- hypotenuse
How 弦 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Bow.
弓 gives the meaning and 玄 hints at the sound.
Radical: 弓 (bow), shared by 29 characters on this site.
How to remember 弦
On the left is 弓 (gōng), a bow, which gives the meaning: the string pulled tight on a bow. On the right is 玄 (xuán), which gives the sound, so think of a bow string humming "xián" when you pluck it.
弦 (xián) means a string on a bow or a musical instrument. It also appears in math for a chord of a circle or the hypotenuse of a right triangle. Example: 这把吉他断了一根弦。(Zhè bǎ jítā duàn le yì gēn xián.) One string on this guitar broke.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 弦 (xián) with 炫 (xuàn, to dazzle) or 眩 (xuàn, dizzy), which share the 玄 part. Only 弦 has the bow 弓 on the left, and it uses the second tone, not the fourth.
Common words with 弦
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
弦 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 弦
How many strokes are in 弦?
弦 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 弦 mean?
弦 (xián) means bow string; string of musical instrument; watchspring. A common word with it is 扣人心弦 (kòurénxīnxián), meaning "to excite; to thrill".
How do you pronounce 弦?
弦 is pronounced xián, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 弦?
The radical of 弦 is 弓, which carries the idea of "bow". Dictionaries list 弦 under this radical.
Is 弦 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 弦 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What measure word is used with 弦?
The usual measure word is 根 (gēn), as in 一根弦 (yì gēn xián), one string. For a set of strings, people often say 一组弦 (yì zǔ xián).
What does 扣人心弦 literally mean?
It literally means "to pluck the strings of a person's heart." It describes something very moving or thrilling, such as 一场扣人心弦的比赛 (yì chǎng kòurénxīnxián de bǐsài), a thrilling match.