趁 meaning and stroke order
To avail oneself of; to take advantage of
How to write 趁, stroke by stroke
12 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 趁
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to avail oneself of
- to take advantage of
- old variant of 趁[chen4]
How 趁 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Walk.
走 gives the meaning and 㐱 hints at the sound.
Radical: 走 (to walk), shared by 22 characters on this site.
How to remember 趁
趁 combines 走 (zǒu, to walk) with the sound part 㐱. Picture yourself walking quickly to catch a chance before it slips away.
趁 means doing something while a good condition still lasts, and it usually comes before a time or situation. It appears in common words like 趁机 (chènjī), 趁早 (chènzǎo) and 趁热 (chènrè). Example: 趁热吃吧。(Chèn rè chī ba.) Eat it while it's hot.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 趁 with 称 (chèn/chēng) or 衬 (chèn, lining), which share the same sound but have different radicals. Remember that only 趁, with 走, means seizing a moment.
Common words with 趁
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
趁 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 趁
How many strokes are in 趁?
趁 is written with 12 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 趁 mean?
趁 (chèn) means to avail oneself of; to take advantage of. A common word with it is 趁着 (chènzhe), meaning "".
How do you pronounce 趁?
趁 is pronounced chèn, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 趁?
The radical of 趁 is 走, which carries the idea of "to walk". Dictionaries list 趁 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 趁?
The traditional form of 趁 is 趂. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 趁 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 趁 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 趁 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 趁 and 趁着?
They mean the same thing, to take advantage of a time or situation. 趁着 (chènzhe) sounds a bit more spoken and smooth before longer phrases, while 趁 alone is common in short set phrases like 趁热.
Does 趁机 have a negative meaning?
趁机 (chènjī) can be neutral, as in using a chance to rest. It can also sound opportunistic when someone exploits a situation, so context decides the tone.