TraceHanzi

徇 meaning and stroke order

xùn

To follow, to comply with; to display

9 strokesRadical 彳Traditional 狥
Strokes9
Pinyinxùn
ToneTone 4
Frequency#4,983
Printable worksheet

How to write 徇, stroke by stroke

9 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. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4
  5. 5
  6. 6
  7. 7
  8. 8
  9. 9

Meaning of 徇

Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.

xùnfourth tone (falling)
  1. to give in to
  2. to be swayed by (personal considerations etc)
  3. Taiwan pr. [xun2]
  4. to follow
  5. to expose publicly
  6. variant of 侚[xun4]

How 徇 is built

Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Step.

chìto step with the …+xúnten-day period

彳 gives the meaning and 旬 hints at the sound.

Radical: 彳 (to step with the left foot), shared by 42 characters on this site.

How to remember 徇

徇 combines 彳 (step), a hint of walking, with 旬 (xún), which gives the sound. Picture someone taking steps to follow along with others, giving in to where they lead.

徇 (xùn) is rarely used alone today and mostly appears in set phrases with a negative sense of bending rules for personal reasons. The most common word is 徇私 (xùnsī), to show favoritism. Example: 法官不能徇私。(Fǎguān bù néng xùnsī.) A judge must not show favoritism.

Common mistake: Learners often confuse 徇 with 殉 (xùn, to die for a cause, as in 殉职 xùnzhí). They sound the same and both use 旬. Check the left side: 彳 means following or bending to influence, while 歹 relates to death.

Questions about 徇

How many strokes are in 徇?

徇 is written with 9 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.

What does 徇 mean?

徇 (xùn) means to follow, to comply with; to display.

How do you pronounce 徇?

徇 is pronounced xùn, in the fourth tone (falling).

What is the radical of 徇?

The radical of 徇 is 彳, which carries the idea of "to step with the left foot". Dictionaries list 徇 under this radical.

What is the traditional form of 徇?

The traditional form of 徇 is 狥. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 徇 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.

What does 徇私舞弊 mean?

徇私舞弊 (xùnsī wǔbì) means to bend the law for personal gain and commit fraud. It is a fixed idiom often used in news about corruption.

Is 徇 pronounced xún or xùn?

In mainland standard Mandarin it is fourth tone, xùn. In Taiwan it is commonly pronounced with second tone, xún.