蜃 meaning and stroke order
Clam; sea serpent
How to write 蜃, 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 蜃
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- giant clam
- (mythology) clam-monster said to breathe out a vapor that forms a mirage of buildings
How 蜃 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Mollusk.
虫 gives the meaning and 辰 hints at the sound.
Radical: 虫 (insect), shared by 197 characters on this site.
How to remember 蜃
蜃 combines 虫 (creature) as the meaning part with 辰 (chén) as the sound part, so think of a creature hiding under the cover of 辰. Picture a giant clam tucked under a rock ledge, breathing out a mist that paints buildings in the air.
Today 蜃 almost only appears in the idiom 海市蜃楼 (hǎishìshènlóu), which means a mirage or a beautiful plan that is not real. Example: 他的计划只是海市蜃楼。(Tā de jìhuà zhǐ shì hǎishìshènlóu.) His plan is just a castle in the air.
Common mistake: Learners often read 蜃 as chén because of 辰, but it is shèn with a fourth tone. It is also easy to confuse with 唇 (chún, lips), which has the same 辰 frame but 口 underneath instead of 虫.
Common words with 蜃
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 海市蜃楼 | hǎishìshènlóu | (idiom) (lit. and fig.) mirage |
Questions about 蜃
How many strokes are in 蜃?
蜃 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 蜃 mean?
蜃 (shèn) means clam; sea serpent. A common word with it is 海市蜃楼 (hǎishìshènlóu), meaning "(idiom) (lit. and fig.) mirage".
How do you pronounce 蜃?
蜃 is pronounced shèn, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 蜃?
The radical of 蜃 is 虫, which carries the idea of "insect". Dictionaries list 蜃 under this radical.
Why does the word for mirage contain the character for a clam?
In Chinese mythology, a clam-monster called 蜃 was said to breathe out a vapor that formed images of buildings over the sea. So 海市蜃楼 literally means a sea market and clam towers, describing the illusion it created.
Can 海市蜃楼 be used for something other than a real mirage?
Yes. It is used both literally for an optical mirage and figuratively for hopes, plans, or promises that look attractive but have no real basis.