睜 meaning and stroke order
To open one's eyes; to stare
How to write 睜, stroke by stroke
13 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 睜
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to open (one's eyes)
How 睜 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Eye.
目 gives the meaning and 爭 hints at the sound.
Radical: 目 (eye), shared by 100 characters on this site.
How to remember 睜
睜 combines 目 (eye) with 爭 (zhēng, to struggle), which gives the sound. Picture your eye struggling to open in the morning, and you have 睜 (zhēng), to open one's eyes.
睜 is almost always used with eyes, most often in 睜開 (zhēngkāi) or 睜眼 (zhēngyǎn). 眼睜睜 (yǎnzhēngzhēng) describes watching something happen without being able to stop it. Example: 他睜開眼睛看了看我。(Tā zhēngkāi yǎnjing kàn le kàn wǒ.) He opened his eyes and looked at me.
Common mistake: Learners often write 爭 alone or swap in 掙 (zhèng, to earn), which has the hand radical 扌 instead of 目. Also remember that 睜 is first tone, while 掙 in 掙錢 (zhèngqián) is fourth tone.
Common words with 睜
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
Questions about 睜
How many strokes are in 睜?
睜 is written with 13 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 睜 mean?
睜 (zhēng) means to open one's eyes; to stare. A common word with it is 眼睁睁 (yǎnzhēngzhēng), meaning "to stare blankly; to look on helplessly".
How do you pronounce 睜?
睜 is pronounced zhēng, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 睜?
The radical of 睜 is 目, which carries the idea of "eye". Dictionaries list 睜 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 睜?
睜 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 睁, used in mainland China and Singapore.
Can I use 開 (kāi) alone to say open my eyes?
No, 開眼 means to broaden one's horizons, not to physically open your eyes. For the physical action, say 睜開眼睛 (zhēngkāi yǎnjing) or 睜眼 (zhēngyǎn).
What is the opposite of 睜 for eyes?
The opposite is 閉 (bì), as in 閉上眼睛 (bìshang yǎnjing), to close your eyes. A common pairing is 睜一隻眼，閉一隻眼 (zhēng yì zhī yǎn, bì yì zhī yǎn), meaning to turn a blind eye.