敛 meaning and stroke order
To collect, to extort
How to write 敛, 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 敛
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- (literary) to hold back
- (literary) to restrain; to control (oneself)
- to collect; to gather
- Taiwan pr. [lian4]
- variant of 殮|殓[lian4]
How 敛 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Strike.
攵 gives the meaning and 佥 hints at the sound.
Radical: 攵 (to rap), shared by 36 characters on this site.
How to remember 敛
敛 is built from 佥 (qiān), which gives the sound, and 攵, a hand holding a stick to strike. Picture someone using a stick to drive things together into one place, which is how you collect or gather, and also how you force people to hand things over.
Today 敛 mostly appears in set words rather than on its own. The most common is 收敛 (shōuliǎn), meaning to restrain yourself or tone something down. It also appears in 聚敛 (jùliǎn, to amass wealth, often unfairly). Example: 他最近收敛了很多。(Tā zuìjìn shōuliǎn le hěn duō.) He has toned himself down a lot lately.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 敛 (liǎn) with 脸 (liǎn, face) and 险 (xiǎn, danger), since all three share the 佥 part. Check the left or right side: 敛 has 攵 on the right, 脸 has 月 on the left, and 险 has 阝 on the left.
Common words with 敛
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 收敛 | shōuliǎn | to dwindle; to vanish; to make vanish; to exercise restraint; to curb (one's mirth, arroga | HSK 7-9 |
敛 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 敛
How many strokes are in 敛?
敛 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 敛 mean?
敛 (liǎn) means to collect, to extort. A common word with it is 收敛 (shōuliǎn), meaning "to dwindle; to vanish; to make vanish; to exercise restraint; to curb (one's mirth, arroga".
How do you pronounce 敛?
敛 is pronounced liǎn, in the third tone (dipping).
What is the radical of 敛?
The radical of 敛 is 攵, which carries the idea of "to rap". Dictionaries list 敛 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 敛?
The traditional form of 敛 is 斂. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 敛 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 敛 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 敛 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
Is 敛 always negative, like extorting money?
No. It is negative in words like 聚敛 (jùliǎn) and 敛财 (liǎncái, to rake in money). But in 收敛 (shōuliǎn) it often just means to hold back or behave more modestly, which can be a good thing.
Why is 敛 sometimes read liàn?
When read liàn, it is a variant of 殓 (liàn), meaning to put a body into a coffin, as in 入殓 (rùliàn). In Taiwan the everyday reading is also often liàn, while mainland standard Mandarin uses liǎn.