栩 meaning and stroke order
Oak tree; pleased, glad
How to write 栩, stroke by stroke
10 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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- 10
Meaning of 栩
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- used in 栩栩[xu3 xu3]
- jolcham oak (Quercus serrata)
How 栩 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Tree.
木 gives the meaning and 羽 hints at the sound.
Radical: 木 (tree), shared by 388 characters on this site.
How to remember 栩
栩 combines 木 (tree) on the left with 羽 (yǔ, feather) on the right, which gives the sound. Picture feathers fluttering on a tree branch so lively they look real, which links to 栩栩如生.
Today 栩 almost only appears in the idiom 栩栩如生 (xǔxǔrúshēng), used to praise art, writing, or performances that look vividly real. Example: 这幅画上的鸟栩栩如生。(Zhè fú huà shang de niǎo xǔxǔ rúshēng.) The birds in this painting look lifelike.
Common mistake: Learners often read 栩 as yǔ because of the 羽 component, but the correct reading is xǔ in the third tone. Also do not confuse it with 翎 (líng, plume) or 栩 written with 羽 on the left; the tree 木 always goes on the left.
Common words with 栩
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 栩栩如生 | xǔxǔrúshēng | vivid and lifelike (idiom); true to life; realistic |
Questions about 栩
How many strokes are in 栩?
栩 is written with 10 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 栩 mean?
栩 (xǔ) means oak tree; pleased, glad. A common word with it is 栩栩如生 (xǔxǔrúshēng), meaning "vivid and lifelike (idiom); true to life; realistic".
How do you pronounce 栩?
栩 is pronounced xǔ, in the third tone (dipping).
What is the radical of 栩?
The radical of 栩 is 木, which carries the idea of "tree". Dictionaries list 栩 under this radical.
Can I use 栩 by itself in a sentence?
Not in modern Chinese. It is used in the reduplicated form 栩栩, mainly within the idiom 栩栩如生. The tree sense, the jolcham oak, is a technical botanical meaning you will rarely meet.
What is the difference between 栩栩如生 and 活灵活现?
Both mean vivid and lifelike. 栩栩如生 is more often used for visual art like paintings, sculptures, and carvings, while 活灵活现 (huó líng huó xiàn) is common for descriptions, storytelling, and acting.