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Writing Chinese

 
4 Memory Aids for Writing Chinese

The following 4 memory aids help you to write Chinese Characters in the right stroke direction and stroke order.

Write:

 1. left to right
 example:

一 yī (one)

  

口 kǒu (mouth)

  

说 shuō (to say)
 2. top to bottom
 example:

二 èr (two)

  

百 bǎi (hundred)

  

拜 bài (to visit)
 3. horizontal before
     vertical
example:

十 shí (ten)

  
 

草 cǎo (herb)

  
 

春 chūn (spring)
 4. exterior to interior
 example:

回 huí (to return)

  

风 fēng (wind)

  

圈 juàn (stable)
Attention to 3 exceptions!

Exception 1: In case of symmetrical diagonals: right-to-left before left-to-right
  example:

 文 wén (culture, literature)

  

 义 yí (justice)

  

Exception 2: Bottom enclosures with a long stroke are often last
  example:

 进 jìn (to enter)

  

 建 jiàn (to construct)

  

 函 hán (envelope)

Exception 3: Inside (center) before outside in vertically symmetrical characters
  example:

 兜 dōu (helmet)

  

 承 chéng (to inherit)

  

The Main Strokes of a Chinese Character - A Small Spot on History

The 8 Principles of yǒng 永

A famous female calligrapher of the Eastern Jin Dynasty (265-420 A.D.), Lady Wei Shuo (衛鑠), indicated, that the most frequent 8 strokes of Chinese characters can all be found in the character yǒng 永 (which means "eternal" or "permanence").

It was believed that the frequent practice of these principles as a beginner calligrapher could ensure beauty in one's writing.

 

© Mandarin Strokes