革 meaning and stroke order
Leather, animal hide; to reform; to remove
How to write 革, stroke by stroke
9 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
Meaning of 革
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- animal hide
- leather
- to reform
- to remove
- to expel (from office)
How 革 is built
Pictographic character. An animal being skinned.
How to remember 革
革 (gé) is a picture of an animal hide stretched out after skinning: the top 廿 is the head, the middle box is the body, and the long stroke with the vertical line is the spread-out skin. Stripping off a hide changes it completely, which links to the meanings "to remove" and "to reform."
In modern Chinese 革 rarely stands alone. It appears in words about leather like 皮革 (pígé) and in words about change like 改革 (gǎigé) and 革命 (gémìng). Example: 中国在1978年开始改革开放。(Zhōngguó zài 1978 nián kāishǐ gǎigé kāifàng.) China began reform and opening up in 1978.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 革 (gé) with 皮 (pí). Both relate to skin, but 皮 is the everyday word for skin or peel, while 革 means processed leather or reform. Also keep the second tone. It is not gě or gè.
Common words with 革
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 改革 | gǎigé | reform; to reform | HSK 5 |
| 革新 | géxīn | to innovate; innovation | HSK 6 |
| 革命 | gémìng | to withdraw the mandate of heaven (and transition to a new dynasty) (original meaning); re | HSK 7-9 |
| 变革 | biàngé | to transform; to change | HSK 7-9 |
| 改革开放 | gǎigé kāifàng | reform and opening up (Chinese policy introduced in 1978) | HSK 7-9 |
| 皮革 | pígé | leather | |
| 革命性 | gémìngxìng | revolutionary | |
| 反革命 | fǎngémìng | counterrevolutionary | |
| 洗心革面 | xǐxīngémiàn | lit. to wash one's heart and renew one's face (idiom); to repent sincerely and mend one's | |
| 革职 | gézhí | to sack; to remove from a position |
革 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 革
Learning 革 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 革
How many strokes are in 革?
革 is written with 9 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 革 mean?
革 (gé) means leather, animal hide; to reform; to remove. A common word with it is 改革 (gǎigé), meaning "reform; to reform".
How do you pronounce 革?
革 is pronounced gé, in the second tone (rising).
Is 革 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 革 is part of the HSK 5 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
Why do so many shoe and saddle characters contain 革?
革 works as a meaning component for leather goods. Characters like 鞋 (xié, shoe), 靴 (xuē, boot) and 鞍 (ān, saddle) contain 革 because these things were traditionally made of leather.
Does 革命 only mean a political revolution?
No. It can also describe any radical change, such as 技术革命 (jìshù gémìng), a technological revolution. Its original meaning was the withdrawal of heaven's mandate from a dynasty.