囱 (cōng) - Meaning, Stroke Order & Audio

囱

cōng[cong1]Tone 1

Chimney

HSK 7

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囪

Multiple Readings (多音字):

Guru Deep Dive

English · Chimney

Cached lesson

1 / 1

Topology:Full enclosure

Strokes:8

Writing Balance Rule: Maintain balanced outer walls with an open internal structure so the smoke channel in the middle remains clear and uncluttered.

Simplification Logic: The traditional form 囪 retains the ancient window-like smoke vent shape, while the simplified form 囱 standardizes some internal strokes for quicker writing.

1. Meaning

Chimney

VentSmokehole

NounLiteraryBound morpheme#architecture#household

Sample Usage

烟囱
yān cōng
chimney
穿窗而出的囱气
chuān chuāng ér chū de cōng qì
smoke venting from the chimney

2. Sound

/[t͡sʰʊŋ˥˥]/Tone: 55

囱

cōngcong1

¯(55)

=cōng

Build the syllable

Step-by-step blending

cong

Tone mark placement: Tone mark sits on "o" per main-vowel priority (a > e > o; in -iu/-ui the mark takes the second vowel).

Initial Consonant

Type: Aspirated Dental Sibilant

Sounds like: ts sound like 'ts' in cats

Aspirated

Airflow Tactile Test: Sharp burst of air through teeth! Tissue MUST flutter strongly.

Tongue & Mouth Position: Tip of the tongue placed against the back of the upper teeth, releasing a sharp burst of air.

Final Rhyme

ong

Vowel Group: -o vowel group

Sounds like: -ong rhymes with rung

Mouth Shape Guide: Combine initial 'h-' (h) with final '-ong' (oong).

Common Learner Trap: Keep vowel quality steady across all 4 tone contours.

Tone

T1 (55)

5 → 5 (55)

1st Tone (High-Flat)

Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 1 stays flat and high, matching a flat high-pitched English 'ahhh' of realization.

👂

Listening trap: Do not confuse the affricate initial 'c' ([t͡sʰ]) with the retroflex 'zh' ([t͡ʂ]) or postalveolar 'ch' ([t͡ɕʰ]).

👋

Physical Tone Gesture: Tone 1 is a high, steady flat line held at the top of your vocal range, like a sustained musical note.

3. Writing

Topology: Full enclosure · Strokes: 8 strokes

Writing Balance Rule: Maintain balanced outer walls with an open internal structure so the smoke channel in the middle remains clear and uncluttered.

Simplification Logic: The traditional form 囪 retains the ancient window-like smoke vent shape, while the simplified form 囱 standardizes some internal strokes for quicker writing.

4. Components

Radical 囗 · Enclosure Radical (Boundary or enclosure)

Semantic Clue (形旁): 囗 (Represents the structural housing or opening of a flue or smoke vent.)

Phonetic Clue (声旁): 囱 (original sound: cōng)

An enclosure (囗) housing internal pathways through which smoke escapes upward into the sky.

囗 Enclosure representing the structure
夕 / internal strokes Represents the twisting smoke rising through the vent

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

3· Phonetic Root: 囱 (chuāng)

5. History

Liushu category: Pictogram (象形)

Origin: Originally depicted a smoke vent or window on a ancient rooftop where smoke billowed out from an indoor fireplace.

Semantic Evolution: Over time, it specialized into meaning a chimney or smoke vent, often appearing inside the compound word 烟囱 (yāncong - chimney).

Ancient dwellings required specialized smoke apertures before modern brick chimneys were invented.

6. Sinosphere

🇻🇳

Sino-Vietnamese

thong

Similar level or open pitch in classical Sino-Xenic borrowings.

🇯🇵

Kanji (Japanese)

On: ソウ (sō) / Kun: mado

🇰🇷

Hanja (Korean)

총

Sound Shift Bridge: Shared East Asian root for flue or aperture characters.

7. Memory

Vivid Mnemonic Story

Inside a square enclosure (囗), wisps of smoke swirl up through a narrow vertical vent, acting as the building's chimney (cōng).

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

窗

chuāngold variant of 窗[chuang1]+ 穴 (cave)

悤

+ 心 (heart)

Explore this family →

Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)

窗(chuāng)

窗 means window and contains a roof crown (穴) over the chimney component, whereas 囱 is just the flue structure.

8. Mastery

Active Recall Challenge

屋顶上冒出黑烟的那个地方叫烟[___]。

Clue: cōng

Common Learner Pitfall

Confusing 囱 (chimney) with 窗 (window), since both share a phonetic root but differ in their top/outer radicals.

Memory Prompts

Recognition: When you see 囱, what bound morpheme and object does it represent?

Production: How do you write the character for chimney (cōng) using an enclosure radical and internal smoke vents?

囱cōngChimney

Speed:

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