HanziGuru.慧 · huì
慧
huì[hui4]Tone 4

intelligent

HSK 6
Guru Deep Dive

English · intelligent

Cached lesson
1 / 1
Topology:Top-bottom
Strokes:15
Writing Balance Rule: Keep the top components compact and balanced side-by-side, while leaving enough space for the bottom component 心 (heart) to anchor the entire character with a broad, stable base.
1. Meaning

intelligent

wisdombrightclever
Adjective / Nounliterary / formalBound morpheme#mind#intelligence#personality
Sample Usage
  • 智慧
    zhìhuì
    wisdom / knowledge
  • 聪慧
    cōnghuì
    intelligent / clever
2. Sound
/[xweɪ̯⁵¹]/Tone: 51
慧
huìhui4
++
`(51)
=huì
Initial Consonant
h
Type: Velar Fricative
Sounds like: h sound like in 'hat'
Unaspirated
Airflow Tactile Test: Gentle throat friction (like fogging glasses on a cold day).
Tongue & Mouth Position: Back of the tongue approaches the soft palate with friction, then releases into the vowel.
Final Rhyme
ui
Vowel Group: -i vowel group
Sounds like: rhymes with 'way'
Mouth Shape Guide: Pronounce as standalone vowel 'way'.
Common Learner Trap: Keep vowel quality steady across all 4 tone contours.
Abbreviated Rhyme Rule: ui is short for uei
Tone
T4 (51)
4th Tone (High-Falling)
Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 4 starts high and plunges straight down, exactly like an emphatic 'No!' or a sharp command.
👂
Listening trap: Learners often mistake Tone 4 huì for Tone 2 huí, failing to make the pitch plunge high enough.
👋
Physical Tone Gesture: Tone 4 is a sharp downward nod of the head, like bringing a gavel down firmly to signal a brilliant realization.
3. Writing

Topology: Top-bottom · Strokes: 15 strokes

Writing Balance Rule: Keep the top components compact and balanced side-by-side, while leaving enough space for the bottom component 心 (heart) to anchor the entire character with a broad, stable base.

4. Components

Radical 心 · Heart Radical (heart, mind, emotions)

Semantic Clue (形旁): 心 (Indicates that intelligence and wisdom originate from the heart/mind.)

Phonetic Clue (声旁): 彗 (original sound: huì)

Intelligence (慧) is born when a broom (彗) sweeps away the dust from the heart/mind (心).

  • 丰 abundance / multiple branches
  • 彐 hand / holding
  • 心 heart / mind
5. History
Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)

Origin: Originally formed by combining the phonetic component 彗 (originally depicting a hand holding a broom made of plants) with the semantic component 心 (heart/mind).

Semantic Evolution: From the imagery of sweeping clean comes the metaphorical meaning of a clear, bright, and intelligent mind free of confusion.

  • In ancient texts, 慧 was often interchangeable with 惠 (benefit/kindness), but later specialized to denote mental acuity and wisdom.
6. Sinosphere
🇯🇵
Kanji (Japanese)
On: ケイ (kei) / Kun: さと.い (satoi)
🇰🇷
Hanja (Korean)
혜
7. Memory
Vivid Mnemonic Story

To be truly intelligent (huì), use a magical broom (彗) to sweep all the clutter and confusion straight out of your heart and mind (心).

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)
彗
huìbroom / cometBase phonetic component without the heart radical.
雪
xuěsnowUses rain radical on top instead of the broom structure.
Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)
惠(huì)
惠 lacks the heart (心) radical at the bottom; it means kindness or favor.
8. Mastery
Active Recall Challenge
我们要从小培养独立思考的[___]。
Clue: zhì huì
Common Learner Pitfall

Confusing 慧 (huì) with 惠 (huì) by omitting the heart radical (心) at the base when handwriting.

Memory Prompts
Recognition: When you see 慧, what does it mean and how is it pronounced?
Production: How do you write the character for 'intelligent/wisdom' (huì) combining a broom and a heart?
Real-World Video Context

Watch authentic native speakers pronounce and explain this word in real-world YouTube videos.

Search theme
Accent preference

Results are live YouTube search — accents and levels aren't verified.

慧huìintelligent
Speed:
Searching YouTube for native pronunciation videos...
0 / 0
Watch on YouTubeMore Results on YouTube