怂 meaning and stroke order
To arouse, to incite, to instigate
How to write 怂, 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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Meaning of 怂
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- variant of 㞞|𪨊[song2]
- used in 慫恿|怂恿[song3 yong3]
- (literary) terrified
How 怂 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Heart.
心 gives the meaning and 从 hints at the sound.
Radical: 心 (heart), shared by 97 characters on this site.
How to remember 怂
怂 has 从 (cóng, to follow) sitting on top of 心 (xīn, heart). Picture someone pushing your heart to follow along with their plan. That is egging someone on, and 从 also hints at the sound sǒng.
In standard Chinese, 怂 (sǒng) mostly appears in the word 怂恿 (sǒngyǒng), to egg on or instigate, usually in a negative sense. Example: 他怂恿我逃课。(Tā sǒngyǒng wǒ táo kè.) He egged me on to skip class.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 怂 with 耸 (sǒng, to shrug or tower), as in 耸肩 (sǒngjiān). They share the same sound and the same top part 从, but 耸 has 耳 (ear) at the bottom, while 怂 has 心 (heart).
Common words with 怂
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 怂恿 | sǒngyǒng | to instigate; to incite; to urge; to encourage |
怂 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 怂
How many strokes are in 怂?
怂 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 怂 mean?
怂 (sǒng) means to arouse, to incite, to instigate. A common word with it is 怂恿 (sǒngyǒng), meaning "to instigate; to incite; to urge; to encourage".
How do you pronounce 怂?
怂 is pronounced sǒng, in the third tone (dipping).
What is the radical of 怂?
The radical of 怂 is 心, which carries the idea of "heart". Dictionaries list 怂 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 怂?
The traditional form of 怂 is 慫. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 怂 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
What does 怂 mean in internet slang?
In casual speech 怂 (often said sóng) means cowardly or chicken, as in 你真怂 (nǐ zhēn sóng), you are such a coward. The dictionary lists this sóng reading as a variant of an older character meaning weak or timid.
Is 怂恿 always negative?
It usually suggests pushing someone toward something unwise or bad. For neutral or positive encouragement, Chinese speakers prefer 鼓励 (gǔlì).