眨 meaning and stroke order
To wink
How to write 眨, 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.
- 1
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- 4
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- 9
Meaning of 眨
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to blink
- to wink
How 眨 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. Two eyes, one open 目 and one shut 乏.
Radical: 目 (eye), shared by 100 characters on this site.
How to remember 眨
The left side is 目 (mù), an eye, and the right side is 乏 (fá), which the etymology hint reads as an eye that is shut. One eye open and one eye closed gives you 眨 (zhǎ), a wink or a blink.
眨 is almost always used in the word 眨眼 (zhǎyǎn) or 眨眼睛 (zhǎ yǎnjing), and 一眨眼 (yīzhǎyǎn) means something happened very fast. Example: 一眨眼，他就不见了。(Yīzhǎyǎn, tā jiù bú jiàn le.) In the blink of an eye, he was gone.
Common mistake: Learners sometimes write 泛 (fàn) or 乏 (fá) when they mean 眨, so remember that the eye radical 目 must be on the left. Also keep the third tone zhǎ and do not confuse it with 扎 (zhā) or 炸 (zhà).
Common words with 眨
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
眨 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 眨
How many strokes are in 眨?
眨 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 眨 mean?
眨 (zhǎ) means to wink. A common word with it is 眨眼 (zhǎyǎn), meaning "to blink; to wink".
How do you pronounce 眨?
眨 is pronounced zhǎ, in the third tone (dipping).
What is the radical of 眨?
The radical of 眨 is 目, which carries the idea of "eye". Dictionaries list 眨 under this radical.
Is 眨 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 眨 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
Is there a difference between blinking and winking in Chinese?
眨眼 covers both meanings, and context tells you which one is meant. To make a wink clear, people often say 对他眨了眨眼 (duì tā zhǎ le zhǎ yǎn), which means winked at him on purpose.
What does 眼都不眨 mean?
眼都不眨 (yǎn dōu bù zhǎ) literally means without even blinking. It describes doing something calmly or without hesitation, such as spending a lot of money without a second thought.