掄 (lūn) - Meaning, Stroke Order & Audio

掄

lūn[lun1]Tone 1

to swing, wave, fling

HSK 7

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抡

Multiple Readings (多音字):

Guru Deep Dive

English · to swing, wave, fling

Cached lesson

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Topology:Left-right

Strokes:11

Writing Balance Rule: The left radical (扌) should occupy about one-third of the width, leaving the right component (伦) balanced and slightly wider on the right side.

Simplification Logic: The traditional character 掄 is simplified to 抡 by replacing the complex phonetic/semantic components with simpler standard variants while retaining the core structure.

1. Meaning

to swing or wave forcefully (arms, heavy objects, or weapons)

to fling or squander (money)

VerbNeutral#action#body movement#force

Sample Usage

他抡起拳头打过去。
Tā lūn qǐ quántou dǎ guòqù.
He swung his fist and struck out.
别把钱这么抡着花。
Bié bǎ qián zhème lūnzhe huā.
Don't squander your money like this.

2. Sound

/[luən⁵⁵]/Tone: 55

掄

lūnlun1

¯(55)

=lūn

Build the syllable

Step-by-step blending

lun

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

Initial Consonant

Type: Alveolar Lateral

Sounds like: l sound as in 'lamp'

Unaspirated

Airflow Tactile Test: Air flows freely around both sides of tongue.

Tongue & Mouth Position: Tongue tip pressed against the alveolar ridge behind the upper front teeth.

Final Rhyme

Vowel Group: -u vowel group

Sounds like: -un rhymes with 'moon'

Mouth Shape Guide: Pronounce as standalone vowel 'wuhn'.

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

Abbreviated Rhyme Rule: Derived from the full u-en structure.

Tone

T1 (55)

5 → 5 (55)

1st Tone (High-Flat)

Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 1 is a high, steady pitch, similar to the flat, sustained tone of voice when expressing surprise or holding a single musical note.

Sandhi: No special sandhi rules apply; follows standard first tone level pitch.

👂

Listening trap: Confusing it with lún (Tone 2, rising) or lùn (Tone 4, falling). Make sure to keep it high and level.

👋

Physical Tone Gesture: A flat, high horizontal line in the air, mirroring the high steady pitch of Tone 1.

3. Writing

Topology: Left-right · Strokes: 11 strokes

Writing Balance Rule: The left radical (扌) should occupy about one-third of the width, leaving the right component (伦) balanced and slightly wider on the right side.

Simplification Logic: The traditional character 掄 is simplified to 抡 by replacing the complex phonetic/semantic components with simpler standard variants while retaining the core structure.

4. Components

Radical 扌 · Hand radical (Related to hand actions, touching, or striking)

Semantic Clue (形旁): 扌 (Indicates that the action is performed using the hand or arm.)

Phonetic Clue (声旁): 伦 (original sound: lún)

The hand radical (扌) combines with the sound-giving component 伦 (lún) to create 抡 (lūn), representing the physical action of swinging or waving with the arm.

扌 Hand action
伦 Phonetic clue providing the 'lún' sound base

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

6· Phonetic Root: 侖

5. History

Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)

Origin: Formed as a phono-semantic compound where the hand radical classifies the character as a manual action, and 伦 provides the pronunciation.

Semantic Evolution: Originally denoting physical arm movements like swinging a weapon or tool, it expanded over time to include metaphorical actions like flinging or squandering money.

Frequently encountered in classic Chinese literature describing martial arts combat and weapon handling.

6. Sinosphere

7. Memory

Vivid Mnemonic Story

Imagine using your **hand** (扌) to swing a heavy staff around like **Lunn** (lūn) the warrior, making a high whistling sound in the air.

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

侖

Phonetic Core (声旁)

圇

+ 囗 (enclosure)

崙

+ 山 (mountain)

淪

+ 氵 (water)

Explore this family →

Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)

轮(lún)

轮 has the vehicle radical (车) for wheels, while 抡 has the hand radical (扌) for swinging with arms.

论(lùn)

论 has the speech radical (讠) for discussion, whereas 抡 has the hand radical (扌) for physical swinging actions.

8. Mastery

Active Recall Challenge

他氣得[___]起拳頭准備打人。

Clue: lūn

Common Learner Pitfall

Confusing 抡 (lūn) with similar sounding characters like 轮 (lún) or 论 (lùn), or applying the wrong tone when speaking.

Memory Prompts

Recognition: When you see 抡, what physical action does it signify and how is it pronounced?

Production: How do you write the character for 'to swing or wave' with the hand radical and lūn pronunciation?

掄lūnto swing, wave, fling

Speed:

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