挟 meaning and stroke order
To seize; to hold to one's bosom
How to write 挟, 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
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- 9
Meaning of 挟
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- (bound form) to clasp under the arm
- (bound form) to coerce
- (bound form) to harbor (resentment etc)
- Taiwan pr. [xia2]
- old variant of 夾|夹[jia1]
How 挟 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. Wedged 夹 in one's arms 扌; 夹 also provides the pronunciation.
Radical: 扌 (hand), shared by 342 characters on this site.
How to remember 挟
The hand radical 扌 sits next to 夹 (jiā, to squeeze between), so picture a hand wedging something tightly under your arm. 夹 also hints at the sound, though 挟 is read xié.
挟 mostly appears in set words rather than alone. It often carries a sense of force or pressure, as in 挟持 (xiéchí, to hold under duress) and 要挟 (yāoxié, to blackmail). Example: 他用秘密要挟我。(Tā yòng mìmì yāoxié wǒ.) He used a secret to blackmail me.
Common mistake: Learners often read 挟 as jiā because of its component 夹. In modern standard usage it is xié, and the jiā reading is only an old variant of 夹. Also do not confuse it with 侠 (xiá, hero), which has the person radical 亻 instead of the hand 扌.
Common words with 挟
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 挟持 | xiéchí | to seize (sb) by the arms; to hold under duress; to abduct | HSK 7-9 |
| 要挟 | yāoxié | to threaten; to blackmail |
挟 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 挟
How many strokes are in 挟?
挟 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 挟 mean?
挟 (xié) means to seize; to hold to one's bosom. A common word with it is 挟持 (xiéchí), meaning "to seize (sb) by the arms; to hold under duress; to abduct".
How do you pronounce 挟?
挟 is pronounced xié, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 挟?
The radical of 挟 is 扌, which carries the idea of "hand". Dictionaries list 挟 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 挟?
The traditional form of 挟 is 挾. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 挟 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 挟 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 挟 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
Why is 挟 sometimes pronounced xiá?
In Taiwan the standard pronunciation is xiá. In mainland Mandarin it is xié, so you may hear both depending on the speaker.
Can 挟 mean to hold a grudge?
Yes. One of its bound senses is to harbor something like resentment, used in literary or formal phrases. In everyday speech you will mostly meet it in 挟持 and 要挟.