慑 meaning and stroke order
Afraid, scared; to frighten, to intimidate
How to write 慑, stroke by stroke
13 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 慑
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- (bound form) to fear; to be cowed
- (bound form) to frighten; to intimidate
- Taiwan pr. [zhe2]
- variant of 懾|慑[she4]
How 慑 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Heart.
忄 gives the meaning and 聂 hints at the sound.
Radical: 忄 (heart), shared by 167 characters on this site.
How to remember 慑
慑 is built from the heart radical 忄, which gives the meaning of fear, and 聂 (niè), which gives the sound. Picture a heart pounding with fear while three ears (聂 has 耳 on top) strain to hear a threat.
慑 is a bound form, so it almost always appears inside words rather than alone. It is common in formal and news language about power, threats and deterrence. Example: 核武器有威慑作用。(Hé wǔqì yǒu wēishè zuòyòng.) Nuclear weapons have a deterrent effect.
Common mistake: Learners often read 慑 as niè because of its phonetic part 聂, but the standard mainland reading is shè, fourth tone. Also do not confuse it with 摄 (shè, to take or absorb), which has the hand radical 扌 instead of the heart radical 忄.
Common words with 慑
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 威慑 | wēishè | to deter | HSK 7-9 |
Questions about 慑
How many strokes are in 慑?
慑 is written with 13 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 慑 mean?
慑 (shè) means afraid, scared; to frighten, to intimidate. A common word with it is 威慑 (wēishè), meaning "to deter".
How do you pronounce 慑?
慑 is pronounced shè, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 慑?
The radical of 慑 is 忄, which carries the idea of "heart". Dictionaries list 慑 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 慑?
The traditional form of 慑 is 慴 and 懾. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 慑 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 慑 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 慑 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What other words use 慑 besides 威慑?
You will see 震慑 (zhènshè), to awe or intimidate, and 慑服 (shèfú), to submit out of fear or to cow someone into submission. All of them are fairly formal.
Why do some speakers say zhé for 慑?
The dictionary notes that the Taiwan pronunciation is zhé, second tone. On the mainland and in standard textbooks, use shè.