拯 meaning and stroke order
To aid, to help; to lift, to raise
How to write 拯, 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.
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Meaning of 拯
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to raise
- to aid
- to support
- to save
- to rescue
How 拯 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. To give 丞 a hand 扌; 丞 also provides the pronunciation.
Radical: 扌 (hand), shared by 342 characters on this site.
How to remember 拯
A hand 扌 reaching out to 丞 shows the idea of giving someone a hand and lifting them up. 丞 (chéng) also hints at the sound, so think of a hand pulling someone out of trouble to save them.
拯 is almost never used alone in modern Chinese. It appears mainly in the word 拯救 (zhěngjiù), which sounds serious or dramatic and is used for saving lives, the world, or someone's soul. Example: 他拯救了一个落水的孩子。(Tā zhěngjiùle yí gè luòshuǐ de háizi.) He saved a child who fell into the water.
Common mistake: Learners often write the right side as 承 (chéng), which has extra strokes, or confuse the reading with 整 (zhěng, whole), which shares the same pinyin and tone. Also note the tone is third tone zhěng, not first tone zhēng like 争.
Common words with 拯
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 拯救 | zhěngjiù | to save; to rescue | HSK 7-9 |
拯 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 拯
How many strokes are in 拯?
拯 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 拯 mean?
拯 (zhěng) means to aid, to help; to lift, to raise. A common word with it is 拯救 (zhěngjiù), meaning "to save; to rescue".
How do you pronounce 拯?
拯 is pronounced zhěng, in the third tone (dipping).
What is the radical of 拯?
The radical of 拯 is 扌, which carries the idea of "hand". Dictionaries list 拯 under this radical.
Is 拯 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 拯 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 拯救 and 救?
救 (jiù) is the everyday word for save or rescue, as in 救命 (jiùmìng, help). 拯救 is more formal and weighty, often used in news, literature, religion, or movie titles about saving people or the world.
Can 拯 be used by itself in a sentence?
In modern speech and writing, no. It survives in fixed expressions like 拯救 and the literary phrase 拯溺 (zhěngnì, to rescue the drowning), so it is best learned as part of 拯救.