灵 meaning and stroke order
Quick; alert; efficacious
How to write 灵, stroke by stroke
7 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
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
Meaning of 灵
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- quick
- alert
- efficacious
- effective
- to come true
- spirit
How 灵 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Fire.
火 gives the meaning and 彐 hints at the sound.
Radical: 彐 (snout), shared by 9 characters on this site.
How to remember 灵
灵 is built from 彐 on top of 火 (huǒ, fire). Picture a hand-like 彐 held over a flickering fire: a quick, lively flame, like a spirit that is alert and alive.
灵 rarely stands alone in modern speech. It shows up in words for the spirit, like 灵魂 (línghún) and 灵感 (línggǎn), and in words for being quick or nimble, like 灵活 (línghuó) and 机灵 (jīling). It can also mean something works or is effective: 这个办法很灵。(Zhège bànfǎ hěn líng.) This method really works.
Common mistake: Learners often write the top as 子 or 习, or turn the bottom into 大. The top is 彐, three horizontal strokes closed on the right, and the bottom is 火. Also note that in 机灵 (jīling) the second syllable is usually said in the neutral tone.
Common words with 灵
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 心灵 | xīnlíng | bright; smart | HSK 6 |
| 灵活 | línghuó | flexible; nimble | HSK 6 |
| 灵魂 | línghún | soul; spirit | HSK 7-9 |
| 灵感 | línggǎn | creative inspiration | HSK 7-9 |
| 失灵 | shīlíng | out of order (of machine); not working properly | HSK 7-9 |
| 机灵 | jīling | alert; quick-witted; lively | HSK 7-9 |
| 灵敏 | língmǐn | smart; clever | HSK 7-9 |
| 灵巧 | língqiǎo | deft; nimble | HSK 7-9 |
| 灵通 | língtōng | fast and abundant (news); clever | HSK 7-9 |
| 水灵灵 | shuǐlínglíng | see 水靈|水灵[shui3 ling2] | HSK 7-9 |
| 灵机一动 | língjī-yīdòng | a bright idea suddenly occurs (idiom); to hit upon an inspiration; to be struck by a brain | HSK 7-9 |
| 心灵手巧 | xīnlíng-shǒuqiǎo | capable; clever | HSK 7-9 |
| 幽灵 | yōulíng | specter; apparition | |
| 精灵 | jīnglíng | spirit; fairy |
灵 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 灵
How many strokes are in 灵?
灵 is written with 7 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 灵 mean?
灵 (líng) means quick; alert; efficacious. A common word with it is 心灵 (xīnlíng), meaning "bright; smart".
How do you pronounce 灵?
灵 is pronounced líng, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 灵?
The radical of 灵 is 彐, which carries the idea of "snout". Dictionaries list 灵 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 灵?
The traditional form of 灵 is 靈. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 灵 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 灵 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 灵 is part of the HSK 6 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What does 灵 mean when people say a medicine or a method is 灵?
Here 灵 means effective or that it works well. 这药很灵 means this medicine really works. The opposite idea appears in 失灵 (shīlíng), used when a machine or brake stops working.
Is 心灵 the same as 灵魂?
Not quite. 心灵 (xīnlíng) usually refers to the heart and mind, your inner emotional world, as in 心灵美 (beauty of the heart). 灵魂 (línghún) is the soul, often in a religious or deep moral sense.