援 meaning and stroke order
To assist; to lead; to quote, to cite
How to write 援, stroke by stroke
12 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 援
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to help
- to assist
- to aid
How 援 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. To lead 爰 by hand 扌; 爰 also provides the pronunciation.
Radical: 扌 (hand), shared by 342 characters on this site.
How to remember 援
A hand 扌 reaching out to lead someone 爰 along is 援 (yuán), giving a helping hand. The right part 爰 also hints at the sound yuán.
援 is rarely used alone in speech. It appears in more formal words about aid and rescue, such as 支援 (zhīyuán), 救援 (jiùyuán) and 援助 (yuánzhù), often in news about disasters, governments or the military. Example: 国家派人去灾区支援。(Guójiā pài rén qù zāiqū zhīyuán.) The country sent people to help in the disaster area.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 援 with 暖 (nuǎn, warm) and 缓 (huǎn, slow), which share the same right part 爰. Check the left side: the hand 扌 means helping, the sun 日 means warm, and the silk 纟 means slow.
Common words with 援
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 支援 | zhīyuán | to provide assistance; to support | HSK 6 |
| 救援 | jiùyuán | to save; to support | HSK 6 |
| 援助 | yuánzhù | to help; to support | HSK 6 |
| 外援 | wàiyuán | foreign aid; external aid | HSK 7-9 |
| 增援 | zēngyuán | to reinforce | |
| 后援 | hòuyuán | reinforcement; back-up | |
| 援军 | yuánjūn | (military) reinforcements | |
| 援手 | yuánshǒu | assistance; a helping hand; to lend a hand | |
| 救援队 | jiùyuánduì | rescue team | |
| 求援 | qiúyuán | to ask for help | |
| 孤立无援 | gūlìwúyuán | isolated and without help | |
| 援兵 | yuánbīng | (military) reinforcements | |
| 援救 | yuánjiù | to come to the aid of; to save |
援 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 援
How many strokes are in 援?
援 is written with 12 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 援 mean?
援 (yuán) means to assist; to lead; to quote, to cite. A common word with it is 支援 (zhīyuán), meaning "to provide assistance; to support".
How do you pronounce 援?
援 is pronounced yuán, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 援?
The radical of 援 is 扌, which carries the idea of "hand". Dictionaries list 援 under this radical.
Is 援 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 援 is part of the HSK 6 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 援助 and 帮助?
帮助 (bāngzhù) is the everyday word for helping anyone with anything. 援助 (yuánzhù) is more formal and usually means aid given by organizations or countries, like money, supplies or troops.
What does 援 mean in 援引?
In 援引 (yuányǐn), 援 carries its older sense of to cite or quote. The word means to quote a source or invoke a rule, as in citing a law or an earlier case.