炼 meaning and stroke order
To refine; to smelt
How to write 炼, stroke by stroke
9 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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- 9
Meaning of 炼
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to refine
- to smelt
- variant of 鏈|链[lian4], chain
- variant of 煉|炼[lian4]
How 炼 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Fire.
火 gives the meaning and 柬 hints at the sound.
Radical: 火 (fire), shared by 128 characters on this site.
How to remember 炼
炼 puts fire 火 on the left with 柬 (jiǎn) on the right as the sound hint. Picture throwing ore into a fire to melt it down and refine out the pure metal.
炼 appears in words about refining with heat, like 炼钢 (liàn gāng, to make steel) and 提炼 (tíliàn, to extract). Its most common everyday use is in 锻炼 (duànliàn), meaning to exercise or toughen yourself. 我每天早上锻炼身体。(Wǒ měitiān zǎoshang duànliàn shēntǐ.) I exercise every morning.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 炼 with 练 (liàn, to practice), which has the silk radical 纟 and the same sound. Use 炼 with fire for refining and 练 for practice, as in 练习 (liànxí), but note that 锻炼 uses the fire version.
Common words with 炼
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
炼 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 炼
How many strokes are in 炼?
炼 is written with 9 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 炼 mean?
炼 (liàn) means to refine; to smelt. A common word with it is 锻炼 (duànliàn), meaning "to toughen; to temper".
How do you pronounce 炼?
炼 is pronounced liàn, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 炼?
The radical of 炼 is 火, which carries the idea of "fire". Dictionaries list 炼 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 炼?
The traditional form of 炼 is 煉 and 鍊. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 炼 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 炼 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 炼 is part of the HSK 4 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 3.
What is the difference between 炼 and 练?
Both are read liàn. 炼 with 火 is about refining or tempering through heat or hardship, while 练 with 纟 is about practicing or training a skill, as in 练字 (liàn zì, to practice calligraphy).
Is 炼 used for anything besides metal?
Yes. It is used for refining oil, as in 炼油 (liàn yóu), and figuratively for polishing language, as in 精炼 (jīngliàn, concise and refined). It also appears in spiritual contexts like 修炼 (xiūliàn) and 炼狱 (liànyù, purgatory).