筹 meaning and stroke order
Chip (in gambling); token (for counting); ticket; to prepare; to plan; to raise (funds); resource; way; means
How to write 筹, 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 筹
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- chip (in gambling); token (for counting); ticket
- to prepare; to plan; to raise (funds)
- resource; way; means
How 筹 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Bamboo.
⺮ gives the meaning and 寿 hints at the sound.
Radical: ⺮ (bamboo), shared by 149 characters on this site.
How to remember 筹
Bamboo ⺮ on top of 寿 (shòu, long life): long ago people counted with bamboo sticks, so picture a long-lived old planner moving bamboo tally sticks around to work out a plan. 寿 also hints at the sound, since shòu and chóu rhyme.
筹 is rarely used alone today. It appears in words about planning and raising money, like 筹备 (chóubèi), 筹划 (chóuhuà), and 筹集 (chóují), and in 筹码 (chóumǎ) for chips or bargaining power. Example: 他们正在筹钱开店。(Tāmen zhèngzài chóu qián kāi diàn.) They are raising money to open a shop.
Common mistake: Learners often read it as shòu because of the 寿 part, but 筹 is chóu with a second tone. Also do not confuse 筹 with 等 (děng), which has the same bamboo top but 寺 underneath.
Common words with 筹
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 筹码 | chóumǎ | bargaining chip; gaming chip; casino token | HSK 7-9 |
| 筹备 | chóubèi | preparations; to get ready for sth | HSK 7-9 |
| 筹划 | chóuhuà | to plan and prepare | HSK 7-9 |
| 筹集 | chóují | to collect money; to raise funds | HSK 7-9 |
| 筹办 | chóubàn | to arrange; to make preparations | HSK 7-9 |
| 筹措 | chóucuò | to raise (money) | HSK 7-9 |
| 统筹 | tǒngchóu | an overall plan; to plan an entire project as a whole | HSK 7-9 |
| 一筹莫展 | yīchóu-mòzhǎn | to be unable to find a solution; to be at wits' end | HSK 7-9 |
| 筹款 | chóukuǎn | fundraising | |
| 筹钱 | chóuqián | to raise money |
筹 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 筹
How many strokes are in 筹?
筹 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 筹 mean?
筹 (chóu) means chip (in gambling); token (for counting); ticket; to prepare; to plan; to raise (funds); resource; way; means. A common word with it is 筹码 (chóumǎ), meaning "bargaining chip; gaming chip; casino token".
How do you pronounce 筹?
筹 is pronounced chóu, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 筹?
The radical of 筹 is ⺮, which carries the idea of "bamboo". Dictionaries list 筹 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 筹?
The traditional form of 筹 is 籌. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 筹 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 筹 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 筹 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What does 一筹莫展 mean and when is it used?
一筹莫展 (yīchóu-mòzhǎn) means you cannot come up with a single plan, so you are at your wits' end. It is a set idiom, as in 他对这个问题一筹莫展 (He is completely stuck on this problem).
What is the difference between 筹备 and 筹集?
筹备 (chóubèi) means to prepare or get ready for something, like an event or a company. 筹集 (chóují) means to gather resources, usually money, as in 筹集资金 (raise funds).