HanziGuru.瘫 · tān
瘫
tān[tan1]Tone 1

paralyzed

HSK 7
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癱
Guru Deep Dive

English · paralyzed

Cached lesson
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Topology:Full enclosure
Strokes:22
Writing Balance Rule: The enclosing sickness radical (疒) must canopy gracefully over the complex phonetic element on the right (雚), keeping the overall structure balanced and preventing it from collapsing.
Simplification Logic: Simplified from 癱 by replacing the traditional phonetic component with a simplified structure while retaining the sickness enclosure.
1. Meaning

paralyzed

numbinactivebrought to a standstill
Adjective / VerbFormal / LiteraryBound morpheme#medical#health#physical state
Sample Usage
  • 他因病瘫痪在床。
    tā yīn bìng tānhuàn zài chuáng.
    He is bedridden due to paralysis from illness.
  • 交通瘫痪了。
    jiāotōng tānhuàn le.
    Traffic is paralyzed.
2. Sound
/[tʰan⁵⁵]/Tone: 55
瘫
tāntan1
++
¯(55)
=tān
Build the syllable
Step-by-step blending
tan
Tone mark placement: Tone mark sits on "a" per main-vowel priority (a > e > o; in -iu/-ui the mark takes the second vowel).
Initial Consonant
t
Type: Aspirated Alveolar
Sounds like: t sound as in English 'top'
Aspirated
Airflow Tactile Test: Explosive puff of breath! Tissue held before mouth MUST flutter.
Tongue & Mouth Position: Tongue tip touches the alveolar ridge right behind the upper front teeth and releases with a sharp puff of air
Final Rhyme
an
Vowel Group: -a vowel group
Sounds like: an rhymes with 'on' or 'un' in sun (open low-mid front vowel transitioning to nasal -n)
Mouth Shape Guide: Pronounce as standalone vowel 'ahn'.
Common Learner Trap: Keep vowel quality steady across all 4 tone contours.
Tone
T1 (55)
1st Tone (High-Flat)
Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 1 stays level at the highest pitch of your vocal range, like a sustained musical note when singing.
👂
Listening trap: Do not confuse with tan2 (rising tone) or tan4 (falling tone). Ensure the pitch remains completely flat and high from start to finish.
👋
Physical Tone Gesture: Hold your flat hand straight out at eye level and keep your voice humming on a high, steady musical note.
3. Writing

Topology: Full enclosure · Strokes: 22 strokes

Writing Balance Rule: The enclosing sickness radical (疒) must canopy gracefully over the complex phonetic element on the right (雚), keeping the overall structure balanced and preventing it from collapsing.

Simplification Logic: Simplified from 癱 by replacing the traditional phonetic component with a simplified structure while retaining the sickness enclosure.

4. Components

Radical 疒 · Sickness Radical (Illness, disease, bed)

Semantic Clue (形旁): 疒 (Indicates a medical condition or bodily infirmity)

Phonetic Clue (声旁): 雚 (original sound: tan)

A person inside a sick bed (疒) with a heron-like bird (雚) standing stiffly beside them, unable to move.

  • 疒 Sickness enclosure
  • 雚 Phonetic indicator providing the sound 'tan'
5. History
Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)

Origin: Combined the sickness signifier (疒) with the phonetic element (雚) to denote the loss of bodily movement.

Semantic Evolution: Originally referred specifically to physical paralysis and numbness, later extended to metaphorical traffic or economic standstills.

  • The sickness radical (疒) is found in nearly all traditional Chinese characters relating to diseases and physical ailments.
6. Sinosphere
🇯🇵
Kanji (Japanese)
On: タン
7. Memory
Vivid Mnemonic Story

Picture someone lying sick in bed (疒) watching a stiff bird (雚) that is completely paralyzed and cannot fly away.

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)
难
nándifficultPhonetic Core (声旁)
摊
tānto spread out, vendor's stand+ 扌 (hand)
傩
nuóto exorcise demons+ 亻 (person)
Explore this family →
Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)
摊(tān)
摊 has the hand radical (扌) for spreading things with your hands, whereas 瘫 has the sickness radical (疒) for paralysis.
8. Mastery
Active Recall Challenge
这场车祸导致交通完全[___]了。
Clue: tān
Common Learner Pitfall

Confusing the high level tone (Tone 1) with Tone 2 or Tone 4, or mixing up the sickness radical (疒) with hand (扌) or water (氵) radicals.

Memory Prompts
Recognition: When you see 瘫 with the sickness radical 疒 and phonetic 雚, what does it mean and how is it pronounced?
Production: How do you write the character for 'paralyzed' (tān) using the sickness radical and phonetic part?
Real-World Video Context

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

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