陵 meaning and stroke order
Hill, mound; mausoleum
How to write 陵, stroke by stroke
10 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 陵
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- mound
- tomb
- hill
- mountain
How 陵 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. A hill 阝 where people are laid to rest 夌; 夌 also provides the pronunciation.
Radical: 阝 (place), shared by 160 characters on this site.
How to remember 陵
The left side 阝 is a hill. The right side 夌 gives the sound líng, so picture a high hill where important people are laid to rest: a hill becomes a mausoleum.
陵 appears mostly in compounds rather than alone. It means rolling hills in geography words like 丘陵 (qiūlíng), and royal tombs in words like 陵墓 (língmù) and place names such as 十三陵 (Shísān Líng, the Ming Tombs). Example: 我们去参观明十三陵。(Wǒmen qù cānguān Míng Shísān Líng.) We are going to visit the Ming Tombs.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 陵 with 凌 (líng, to rise high or insult) and 菱 (líng, water chestnut). All three share 夌 and the same sound, so check the left part: 阝 for hills and tombs, 冫 for 凌, and 艹 on top for 菱.
Common words with 陵
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 丘陵 | qiūlíng | hills | HSK 7-9 |
| 陵墓 | língmù | tomb; mausoleum |
陵 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 陵
How many strokes are in 陵?
陵 is written with 10 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 陵 mean?
陵 (líng) means hill, mound; mausoleum. A common word with it is 丘陵 (qiūlíng), meaning "hills".
How do you pronounce 陵?
陵 is pronounced líng, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 陵?
The radical of 陵 is 阝, which carries the idea of "place". Dictionaries list 陵 under this radical.
Is 陵 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 陵 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 陵 and 墓?
墓 (mù) is the general word for any grave. 陵 suggests a large, grand tomb built on or as a hill, usually for emperors or national leaders, as in 中山陵 (Zhōngshān Líng), Sun Yat-sen's mausoleum.
Why does 陵 show up in so many Chinese place names?
Because it means hill, and many towns were named after nearby hills or famous tombs. Examples include 江陵 (Jiānglíng) and 金陵 (Jīnlíng), an old name for Nanjing.