掀 meaning and stroke order
To lift (a lid); to rock; to convulse
How to write 掀, stroke by stroke
11 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 掀
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to lift (a lid)
- to rock
- to convulse
How 掀 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Hand.
扌 gives the meaning and 欣 hints at the sound.
Radical: 扌 (hand), shared by 342 characters on this site.
How to remember 掀
掀 has the hand radical 扌 on the left, so it is an action you do with your hand, like lifting a lid. The right side 欣 (xīn) gives the sound, and you can picture a happy hand (欣 means joyful) lifting the lid off a pot to see dinner.
掀 usually means lifting or pulling something off a surface, such as a lid, a blanket, or a curtain. It also appears figuratively in 掀起, meaning to stir up a trend or wave. Example: 他掀开被子起床了。(Tā xiānkāi bèizi qǐchuáng le.) He threw back the blanket and got up.
Common mistake: Learners often read 掀 as xīn because of the phonetic part 欣, but the correct reading is first tone xiān. Also do not confuse it with 欣 itself, which lacks the hand radical and means happy.
Common words with 掀
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
掀 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 掀
How many strokes are in 掀?
掀 is written with 11 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 掀 mean?
掀 (xiān) means to lift (a lid); to rock; to convulse. A common word with it is 掀起 (xiānqǐ), meaning "to lift; to raise (a lid etc); (of a storm) to surge; to stir up (waves etc)".
How do you pronounce 掀?
掀 is pronounced xiān, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 掀?
The radical of 掀 is 扌, which carries the idea of "hand". Dictionaries list 掀 under this radical.
Is 掀 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 掀 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 掀 and 揭 (jiē)?
Both can mean to lift off or uncover. 掀 stresses a lifting or flipping motion, as with a lid or blanket, while 揭 often means peeling off or exposing, as in 揭开秘密 (jiēkāi mìmì), to reveal a secret.
How is 掀起 used in a figurative sense?
掀起 can mean to set off a large movement or trend. For example, 掀起热潮 (xiānqǐ rècháo) means to set off a craze, and 掀起波浪 means to stir up waves.