驶 meaning and stroke order
To drive, to pilot, to ride; fast, quick
How to write 驶, stroke by stroke
8 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 驶
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- (of a vehicle, horse etc) to go fast; to speed
- (of a vehicle) to run; to go
- (of a boat) to sail
How 驶 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Horse.
马 gives the meaning and 史 hints at the sound.
Radical: 马 (horse), shared by 54 characters on this site.
How to remember 驶
驶 combines 马 (horse) on the left with 史 (shǐ) on the right, which gives the sound. Picture a horse speeding along, and today the same idea covers cars, trains and boats moving fast.
驶 rarely stands alone in speech. It usually appears in words like 驾驶 (jiàshǐ, to drive or pilot) and 行驶 (xíngshǐ, to travel along a route), often in formal or written contexts. Example: 火车驶向北京。 (Huǒchē shǐxiàng Běijīng.) The train is heading toward Beijing.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 驶 with 使 (shǐ, to use or cause), since both are pronounced shǐ and share the 史 shape. Remember that 驶 has the horse radical 马 because it is about vehicles moving, while 使 has the person radical 亻.
Common words with 驶
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 驾驶 | jiàshǐ | to drive (vehicle); to pilot (ship, airplane etc); driver; pilot; captain | HSK 5 |
| 行驶 | xíngshǐ | to travel along a route (of vehicles etc) | HSK 5 |
| 驾驶员 | jiàshǐyuán | pilot; driver | |
| 驾驶舱 | jiàshǐcāng | cockpit; control cabin | |
| 驶向 | shǐxiàng | (of a train, boat, plane etc) to head in the direction of | |
| 驾驶室 | jiàshǐshì | cab (of a locomotive, truck etc); driver's compartment; wheelhouse | |
| 副驾驶 | fùjiàshǐ | copilot; co-driver (abbr. for 副駕駛員|副驾驶员[fu4 jia4 shi3 yuan2]); front passenger seat (abbr. | |
| 驾驶执照 | jiàshǐzhízhào | driver's license | |
| 驾驶证 | jiàshǐzhèng | driver's license | |
| 驶离 | shǐlí | to steer (the plane) away from; to drive away (from a place) | |
| 无人驾驶 | wúrénjiàshǐ | unmanned; unpiloted | |
| 驶往 | shǐwǎng | (of a vehicle, boat etc) to travel to; to head for | |
| 驶入 | shǐrù | (of a car, ship, train etc) to enter |
驶 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 驶
How many strokes are in 驶?
驶 is written with 8 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 驶 mean?
驶 (shǐ) means to drive, to pilot, to ride; fast, quick. A common word with it is 驾驶 (jiàshǐ), meaning "to drive (vehicle); to pilot (ship, airplane etc); driver; pilot; captain".
How do you pronounce 驶?
驶 is pronounced shǐ, in the third tone (dipping).
What is the radical of 驶?
The radical of 驶 is 马, which carries the idea of "horse". Dictionaries list 驶 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 驶?
The traditional form of 驶 is 駛. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 驶 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 驶 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 驶 is part of the HSK 5 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 开车 and 驾驶?
开车 (kāichē) is the everyday spoken way to say drive a car. 驾驶 (jiàshǐ) is more formal and also covers piloting planes and ships, so you see it on signs, in laws and in words like 驾驶执照 (driver's license).
Can 驶 describe a person walking or running?
No. 驶 is used for vehicles, ships, planes and historically horses, not for people on foot. For a person you would use verbs like 走 (zǒu) or 跑 (pǎo).