朽 meaning and stroke order
Decayed, rotten
How to write 朽, stroke by stroke
6 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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- 6
Meaning of 朽
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- rotten
How 朽 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. The wood of a dying 丂 tree 木.
Radical: 木 (tree), shared by 388 characters on this site.
How to remember 朽
朽 combines 木 (wood) on the left with 丂 on the right, which the etymology describes as a dying tree. Picture a bent, withered branch next to a piece of wood that has gone soft and rotten.
朽 rarely stands alone in modern speech. It mostly appears in set words like 腐朽 (fǔxiǔ, rotten) and 不朽 (bùxiǔ, eternal), where "not rotting" means lasting forever. Example: 这是一部不朽的作品。(Zhè shì yí bù bùxiǔ de zuòpǐn.) This is an immortal work.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 朽 (xiǔ) with 朴 (pǔ), since both have 木 on the left. Check the right side: 朽 has the bent 丂, while 朴 has 卜. Also keep the third tone, not a first-tone xiū like 休.
Common words with 朽
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
朽 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 朽
How many strokes are in 朽?
朽 is written with 6 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 朽 mean?
朽 (xiǔ) means decayed, rotten. A common word with it is 腐朽 (fǔxiǔ), meaning "rotten; decayed".
How do you pronounce 朽?
朽 is pronounced xiǔ, in the third tone (dipping).
What is the radical of 朽?
The radical of 朽 is 木, which carries the idea of "tree". Dictionaries list 朽 under this radical.
Is 朽 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 朽 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
Why does 不朽 mean eternal if 朽 means rotten?
不朽 literally means "does not rot." Something that never decays lasts forever, so the word praises lasting fame, works, or spirit. It is common in the phrase 永垂不朽 (yǒngchuíbùxiǔ), used to honor heroes.
Can I use 老朽 to describe an old person?
Be careful. Calling someone else 老朽 is insulting, since it suggests they are decrepit and useless. Traditionally an elderly speaker uses it humbly to mean "I," which is old-fashioned today.