Writing Balance Rule: The left side (开) and the right side (刂) should be well-balanced; keep the right-hand knife radical slim and vertical to give the character stability.
Sounds like: sh sound pronounced with the tongue blade near the hard palate
Unaspirated
Airflow Tactile Test: Hissing friction with lips stretched wide in a smile.
Tongue & Mouth Position: The tip of the tongue rests behind the lower front teeth while the blade rises close to the hard palate.
Final Rhyme
ing
Vowel Group: -i vowel group
Sounds like: rhymes with ring or sing
Mouth Shape Guide: Pronounce as standalone vowel 'eeng'.
Common Learner Trap: Keep vowel quality steady across all 4 tone contours.
Tone
T2 (35)
3 → 5 (35)
2nd Tone (Mid-Rising)
Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 2 rises from middle to high pitch, matching an upward inflection in English.
👂
Listening trap: Do not confuse 'xíng' with 'xīn' (heart). The final '-ng' is back-velar, requiring the back of the tongue to touch the soft palate.
👋
Physical Tone Gesture: Tone 2 rises from mid-pitch to high-pitch like asking a question: 'Really?'
3. Writing
Topology: Left-right · Strokes: 9 strokes
Writing Balance Rule: The left side (开) and the right side (刂) should be well-balanced; keep the right-hand knife radical slim and vertical to give the character stability.
Semantic Clue (形旁):刂 (Indicates carving, shaping, or cutting material into a specific mold.)
Phonetic Clue (声旁):刑 (original sound: xíng)
The character combines the phonetic element 刑 (punishment/mold pattern) on the left with the knife radical 刂 on the right, portraying metal or wood being carved and shaped into a precise mold.
刑 Provides the sound xíng and the root idea of a standard pattern or framework.
刂 Provides the carving/shaping aspect (knife).
Phonetic Family (形声字家族)
3· Phonetic Root: 刑 (xíng)
5. History
Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)
Origin: Originally derived from 刑, which depicted laws and standard punishments. Over time, the meaning broadened from a legal standard or model of behavior to physical molds, patterns, and types.
Semantic Evolution: From legal framework or punishment standard ➔ carved model or pattern ➔ modern categories, types, and physical molds.
The addition of the knife (刂) emphasized the act of carving out a precise shape.
6. Sinosphere
🇻🇳
Sino-Vietnamese
hình
Mandarin rising tone (Tone 2) corresponds to Vietnamese hỏi or sắc depending on historical register, here mapping to hình.
🇯🇵
Kanji (Japanese)
On: ケイ (kei) / Kun: かた (kata), がた (-gata)
🇰🇷
Hanja (Korean)
형
Sound Shift Bridge: The -ing ending parallels historical -ing / -eng correspondences across East Asian borrowings.
7. Memory
Vivid Mnemonic Story
To make the perfect **model** or **mold** (型), a craftsman takes a sharp **knife** (刂) to carve out the exact **pattern** (刑) from solid wood.
Phonetic Family (形声字家族)
刑
xíngpunishment, sentenceWithout the knife radical 刂 (though 刑 itself contains 刂), it focuses on law and punishment.
型
xíngmold, typeFeatures the clear dual structure of 刑 on the left and 刂 on the right.
Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)
行(xíng)
行 means to walk or be OK; it has two overlapping walking elements rather than the complex carving structure of 型.
形(xíng)
形 means shape or form and uses the triple-stroke hair/bristle radical 彡 on the right instead of the knife 刂.
8. Mastery
Active Recall Challenge
这款手机的外观新颖，我很喜欢它的[___]。
Clue: xíng
Common Learner Pitfall
Confusing 型 (xíng - mold/style) with 形 (xíng - shape/form). Remember that 型 has the knife radical (刂) relating to carving a mold.
Memory Prompts
Recognition: When you see 型, what sound and primary meanings come to mind?
Production: How do you write the character for 'model/type' (xíng) using a knife radical?
Real-World Video Context
Watch authentic native speakers pronounce and explain this word in real-world YouTube videos.
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型xíngmold
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