衔 meaning and stroke order
Rank, title; to bite, to hold in the mouth
How to write 衔, stroke by stroke
11 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
- 1
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- 11
Meaning of 衔
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- bit (of a bridle)
- to hold in the mouth
- to harbor (feelings)
- to link
- to accept
- rank
How 衔 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Metal.
钅 gives the meaning and 行 hints at the sound.
Radical: 彳 (to step with the left foot), shared by 42 characters on this site.
How to remember 衔
Picture a metal 钅 bit sitting in the middle of 行 (xíng), the way a bridle bit sits inside a horse's mouth. The metal part points to the original meaning, the bit, and 行 helps with the sound.
Today 衔 appears mostly in words for rank and title, like 头衔 (tóuxián) and 军衔 (jūnxián), and in 衔接 (xiánjiē) for linking things smoothly. It can also mean to hold something in the mouth, often in written or descriptive language. Example: 小鸟嘴里衔着一根树枝。(Xiǎoniǎo zuǐ li xiánzhe yì gēn shùzhī.) The little bird is holding a twig in its beak.
Common mistake: Learners often write the middle part as 金 or forget that 钅 sits between the two halves of 行, so it looks like 街 (jiē, street) with the wrong inside. Remember 街 has 圭 in the middle, while 衔 has 钅.
Common words with 衔
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
Questions about 衔
How many strokes are in 衔?
衔 is written with 11 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 衔 mean?
衔 (xián) means rank, title; to bite, to hold in the mouth. A common word with it is 头衔 (tóuxián), meaning "title; rank".
How do you pronounce 衔?
衔 is pronounced xián, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 衔?
The radical of 衔 is 彳, which carries the idea of "to step with the left foot". Dictionaries list 衔 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 衔?
The traditional form of 衔 is 啣, 衘 and 銜. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 衔 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 衔 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 衔 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 衔 and 叼 for holding something in the mouth?
叼 (diāo) is the everyday spoken word for holding something with the mouth, like a cigarette or a bone. 衔 sounds more literary and is common in writing, poems, and set phrases.
What does 衔 mean in the phrase 衔恨 or 衔冤?
Here 衔 means to harbor a feeling inside. 衔恨 (xiánhèn) means to bear a grudge, and 衔冤 (xiányuān) means to suffer a wrong without it being cleared.