肆 meaning and stroke order
To indulge; excess; four (bankers' anti-fraud numeral)
How to write 肆, 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 肆
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- four (banker's anti-fraud numeral)
- unrestrained
- wanton
- (literary) shop
How 肆 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. Having long 镸 hair 聿.
Radical: 聿 (writing brush), shared by 4 characters on this site.
How to remember 肆
The left part 镸 looks like long, flowing hair, and the right part 聿 is a brush held in a hand. Picture someone letting their hair grow wild and brushing without any limits, and you get 肆 (sì), unrestrained excess.
Today 肆 mostly appears in words about reckless or unchecked behavior, often with a negative tone, such as 放肆 (fàngsì) and 肆意 (sìyì). It is also the formal way to write the number four on checks and contracts. Example: 你太放肆了。(Nǐ tài fàngsì le.) You are being far too impudent.
Common mistake: Learners sometimes write the plain number 四 (sì) where 肆 is required on financial documents, or use 肆 in everyday counting where 四 is normal. Also watch the left side: 镸 is not 長 or 长, so do not add or drop strokes from it.
Common words with 肆
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
肆 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 肆
How many strokes are in 肆?
肆 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 肆 mean?
肆 (sì) means to indulge; excess; four (bankers' anti-fraud numeral). A common word with it is 放肆 (fàngsì), meaning "wanton; unbridled".
How do you pronounce 肆?
肆 is pronounced sì, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 肆?
The radical of 肆 is 聿, which carries the idea of "writing brush". Dictionaries list 肆 under this radical.
Is 肆 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 肆 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
Why is 肆 used for the number four on checks?
Simple numerals like 四 can be easily altered by adding strokes, so banks use complex forms such as 壹, 贰, 叁, 肆 to prevent fraud. 肆 shares the same sound sì as 四, which is why it was chosen.
Does 肆 still mean shop in modern Chinese?
The shop meaning is literary and rare in daily speech. You may see it in older texts or set phrases like 酒肆 (jiǔsì), a wine shop or tavern.