緒 meaning and stroke order
Mental state; thread, clue
How to write 緒, stroke by stroke
14 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 緒
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- beginnings
- clues
- mental state
- thread
How 緒 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Thread.
糹 gives the meaning and 者 hints at the sound.
Radical: 糹 (silk), shared by 126 characters on this site.
How to remember 緒
The silk radical 糹 on the left means thread, and 者 on the right gives the sound. Picture finding the end of a silk thread so you can untangle it, which is how 緒 (xù) came to mean a clue, a beginning, or the thread of your feelings.
緒 (xù) rarely stands alone. It appears in words about feelings and organization, such as 情緒 (qíngxù) mood and 頭緒 (tóuxù) main threads. Example: 他今天情緒不好。(Tā jīntiān qíngxù bù hǎo.) He is in a bad mood today.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 緒 with 諸 (zhū), which has the same right side 者 but the speech radical 訁. Remember that 緒 has silk 糹 because it is about threads, and its tone is fourth tone xù, not xū.
Common words with 緒
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
Questions about 緒
How many strokes are in 緒?
緒 is written with 14 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 緒 mean?
緒 (xù) means mental state; thread, clue. A common word with it is 情绪 (qíngxù), meaning "mood; state of mind".
How do you pronounce 緒?
緒 is pronounced xù, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 緒?
The radical of 緒 is 糹, which carries the idea of "silk". Dictionaries list 緒 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 緒?
緒 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 绪, used in mainland China and Singapore.
What does 頭緒 mean in 沒有頭緒?
沒有頭緒 (méiyǒu tóuxù) means having no clue where to start or being unable to figure something out. It comes from not being able to find the end of a tangled thread.
How is 就緒 used in everyday Chinese?
就緒 (jiùxù) means everything is ready or in place. It is common in phrases like 一切就緒 (yíqiè jiùxù), all is ready, and sounds a bit formal.