攘 meaning and stroke order
To usurp, to seize; to repel
How to write 攘, stroke by stroke
20 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 攘
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- (literary) to push up one's sleeves
- (literary) to reject; to resist
- (literary) to seize; to steal
- (literary) to perturb
- Taiwan pr. [rang2]
How 攘 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Hand.
扌 gives the meaning and 襄 hints at the sound.
Radical: 扌 (hand), shared by 342 characters on this site.
How to remember 攘
The hand radical 扌 on the left shows an action done by hand, and 襄 (xiāng) on the right gives the sound. Picture a hand pushing people away or grabbing something, which matches the meanings to repel and to seize.
攘 (rǎng) is literary and rarely used alone in modern speech. You mostly meet it in set phrases, especially 熙熙攘攘 (xīxī-rǎngrǎng), which describes crowds bustling about. Example: 街上熙熙攘攘，人很多。(Jiē shang xīxī-rǎngrǎng, rén hěn duō.) The street is bustling and full of people.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 攘 (rǎng) with 壤 (rǎng, soil) and 嚷 (rǎng, to shout), which share the same 襄 sound part. Check the left side: 扌 is hand, 土 is earth, 口 is mouth.
Common words with 攘
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 熙熙攘攘 | xīxī-rǎngrǎng | (idiom) bustling with activity | HSK 7-9 |
Questions about 攘
How many strokes are in 攘?
攘 is written with 20 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 攘 mean?
攘 (rǎng) means to usurp, to seize; to repel. A common word with it is 熙熙攘攘 (xīxī-rǎngrǎng), meaning "(idiom) bustling with activity".
How do you pronounce 攘?
攘 is pronounced rǎng, in the third tone (dipping).
What is the radical of 攘?
The radical of 攘 is 扌, which carries the idea of "hand". Dictionaries list 攘 under this radical.
Is 攘 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 攘 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
Is 攘 pronounced rǎng or ráng?
In mainland standard Mandarin it is third tone, rǎng. In Taiwan it is commonly pronounced with second tone, ráng. In 熙熙攘攘 the mainland reading is xīxī-rǎngrǎng.
Can I use 攘 by itself to mean steal or resist in everyday Chinese?
Not really. Those senses are literary and appear in classical texts or formal set expressions. In daily speech use 偷 (tōu) for steal and 抵抗 (dǐkàng) for resist.