遜 meaning and stroke order
Humble, modest; to yield
How to write 遜, 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 遜
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to abdicate
- modest
- yielding
- unpretentious
- inferior to
- (slang) to suck
How 遜 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Walk.
辶 gives the meaning and 孫 hints at the sound.
Radical: 辶 (to walk), shared by 131 characters on this site.
How to remember 遜
遜 combines 辶 (walk) with 孫 (sūn, grandson), which also gives the sound. Picture a polite grandson stepping back on the road to let his elders walk first. He yields, and he is humble.
遜 rarely stands alone in formal Chinese. It appears in words like 謙遜 (qiānxùn, humble) and 遜色 (xùnsè, inferior). A common phrase is 毫不遜色 (háo bù xùnsè), as in 這部電影毫不遜色 (zhè bù diànyǐng háo bù xùnsè), meaning "This film is not inferior at all."
Common mistake: Learners often read 遜 as sūn because of 孫, but the correct reading is fourth tone xùn. Also do not confuse it with 遁 (dùn, to flee), which has the same 辶 radical.
Common words with 遜
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
Questions about 遜
How many strokes are in 遜?
遜 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 遜 mean?
遜 (xùn) means humble, modest; to yield. A common word with it is 谦逊 (qiānxùn), meaning "humble; modest".
How do you pronounce 遜?
遜 is pronounced xùn, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 遜?
The radical of 遜 is 辶, which carries the idea of "to walk". Dictionaries list 遜 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 遜?
遜 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 逊, used in mainland China and Singapore.
What does 遜 mean in Taiwanese slang?
In Taiwan, 遜 (xùn) is casual slang for lame or weak, like saying something sucks. For example, 你好遜 (nǐ hǎo xùn) means "You're so lame." It is informal and a little teasing.
Is 謙遜 the same as 謙虛?
Both mean modest. 謙虛 (qiānxū) is more common in everyday speech and is often used for attitude, as in 要謙虛 (be modest). 謙遜 sounds more formal and literary and often describes a person's manner.