釁 meaning and stroke order
To quarrel, to dispute; a blood sacrifice
How to write 釁, stroke by stroke
25 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 釁
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- quarrel
- dispute
- a blood sacrifice (arch.)
How 釁 is built
Components of the character.
Radical: 酉 (wine), shared by 67 characters on this site.
How to remember 釁
Picture the top 興 (xīng, to rise up) over a wine jar 酉 (yǒu) over 分 (fēn, to divide): tempers rise over the wine and the group splits apart into a quarrel. The wine jar also hints at the old ritual sense of a blood sacrifice offered in vessels.
Today you mostly meet this character in the word 挑衅 (tiǎoxìn), meaning to provoke or a provocation, often in news about conflicts. In mainland China it is normally written in the simplified form 衅. Example: 他故意挑衅对手。(Tā gùyì tiǎoxìn duìshǒu.) He deliberately provoked his opponent.
Common mistake: Learners often read 挑衅 as tiǎoxīn with a first tone because of the top part 興 (xīng). The correct reading is fourth tone, xìn, so say tiǎoxìn.
Common words with 釁
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 挑釁 | tiǎoxìn | to provoke; provocation | HSK 7-9 |
Questions about 釁
How many strokes are in 釁?
釁 is written with 25 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 釁 mean?
釁 (xìn) means to quarrel, to dispute; a blood sacrifice. A common word with it is 挑衅 (tiǎoxìn), meaning "to provoke; provocation".
How do you pronounce 釁?
釁 is pronounced xìn, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 釁?
The radical of 釁 is 酉, which carries the idea of "wine". Dictionaries list 釁 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 釁?
釁 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 衅, used in mainland China and Singapore.
Can 釁 be used alone to mean quarrel in modern Chinese?
Rarely. In modern speech it almost always appears inside fixed words like 挑衅 (tiǎoxìn). For an everyday quarrel people say 吵架 (chǎojià) instead.
What does the blood sacrifice meaning refer to?
It is an archaic sense found in classical texts, referring to smearing sacrificial blood on ritual objects. You will only see it when reading old literature, not in daily Chinese.