滞 meaning and stroke order
To block, to obstruct; sluggish, stagnant
How to write 滞, 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 滞
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- (bound form) sluggish; stagnant
How 滞 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Water.
氵 gives the meaning and 带 hints at the sound.
Radical: 氵 (water), shared by 467 characters on this site.
How to remember 滞
滞 is pictophonetic: the water radical 氵 gives the meaning and 带 (dài) gives the sound. Picture water held back by a belt 带 tied across it, so the flow becomes stuck and stagnant.
滞 is a bound form, so it appears inside words rather than alone. Common ones are 停滞 (tíngzhì) for stagnation, 滞后 (zhìhòu) for lagging behind, and 滞留 (zhìliú) for being stuck somewhere. Example: 经济停滞不前。(Jīngjì tíngzhì bù qián.) The economy is stuck and not moving forward.
Common mistake: Learners often read 滞 as dài because of its phonetic part 带, but the correct reading is zhì, fourth tone. Also do not confuse it with 带 itself, which has no water radical and means belt or to bring.
Common words with 滞
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
滞 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 滞
How many strokes are in 滞?
滞 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 滞 mean?
滞 (zhì) means to block, to obstruct; sluggish, stagnant. A common word with it is 滞留 (zhìliú), meaning "(of a person) to remain in (a place) (due to circumstances that prevent one leaving); to b".
How do you pronounce 滞?
滞 is pronounced zhì, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 滞?
The radical of 滞 is 氵, which carries the idea of "water". Dictionaries list 滞 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 滞?
The traditional form of 滞 is 滯. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 滞 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 滞 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 滞 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 滞留 and 停留?
停留 (tíngliú) is a neutral word for staying somewhere for a while. 滞留 (zhìliú) suggests you are stuck and cannot leave because of circumstances, such as bad weather or cancelled flights.
Can 滞 describe goods that do not sell?
Yes. 滞销 (zhìxiāo) means to sell poorly or be unsalable, as in 滞销产品 (zhìxiāo chǎnpǐn), slow-selling products. The idea of being stuck carries over to goods sitting unsold.