陈 meaning and stroke order
To display, to exhibit; to plead; surname
How to write 陈, stroke by stroke
7 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 陈
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- (bound form) to lay out; to exhibit; to display
- (bound form) to narrate; to state; to explain; to tell
- old; stale
How 陈 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. To place 阝 facing east 东.
Radical: 阝 (place), shared by 160 characters on this site.
How to remember 陈
陈 is built from 阝 (a mound or hillside) and 东 (dōng, east). The etymology hint says it means placing things on a mound facing east, so picture goods laid out on a sunny eastern slope for everyone to see, which gives the sense of display.
陈 rarely stands alone as a verb today. It appears in formal words like 陈列 (chénliè, to display), 陈述 (chénshù, to state) and 陈旧 (chénjiù, outdated), and it is also one of the most common Chinese surnames. Example: 博物馆里陈列着很多古画。(Bówùguǎn lǐ chénliè zhe hěn duō gǔhuà.) Many ancient paintings are displayed in the museum.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 陈 with 东 (dōng) or misread it as dōng because of that component. Remember the sound is chén, second tone, the same as 晨 (chén, morning). Also do not write the right side as 车 (chē). It is 东.
Common words with 陈
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 陈述 | chénshù | to state; to declare | HSK 7-9 |
| 新陈代谢 | xīnchén-dàixiè | metabolism (biology); the new replaces the old (idiom) | HSK 7-9 |
| 陈旧 | chénjiù | old-fashioned; out of date; obsolete; antiquated | HSK 7-9 |
| 陈列 | chénliè | to display; to exhibit | HSK 7-9 |
| 陈年 | chénnián | (of wine) aged; (of debts etc) old; longstanding | |
| 陈词滥调 | chéncílàndiào | cliché; commonplace | |
| 陈词 | chéncí | (formal) to state one's views (esp. in court); stale rhetoric; clichéd remarks |
陈 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 陈
How many strokes are in 陈?
陈 is written with 7 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 陈 mean?
陈 (chén) means to display, to exhibit; to plead; surname. A common word with it is 陈述 (chénshù), meaning "to state; to declare".
How do you pronounce 陈?
陈 is pronounced chén, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 陈?
The radical of 陈 is 阝, which carries the idea of "place". Dictionaries list 陈 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 陈?
The traditional form of 陈 is 陳. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 陈 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 陈 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 陈 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
Why does 陈 mean both 'display' and 'old'?
Both senses appear in the dictionary data. The 'old, stale' meaning shows up in words like 陈旧 (chénjiù, outdated) and 陈年 (chénnián, aged), while 'display' and 'state' show up in 陈列 and 陈述. In 新陈代谢 (xīnchén-dàixiè), 陈 is the old that gets replaced by the new.
How do I say the surname 陈 politely?
Add a title after it, such as 陈先生 (Chén xiānsheng, Mr. Chen) or 陈老师 (Chén lǎoshī, Teacher Chen). As a surname it keeps the same pronunciation, chén, second tone.