筑 (zhù) - Meaning, Stroke Order & Audio

筑

zhù[zhu4]Tone 4

build, construct, or a five-string lute

HSK 5

Multiple Readings (多音字):

Guru Deep Dive

English · build, construct, or a five-string lute

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Topology:Left-right

Strokes:12

Writing Balance Rule: The left radical (竹) is compressed horizontally to make room for the complex phonetic/semantic right component (巩). Keep the overall glyph balanced and centered.

1. Meaning

to build, construct, or erect

five-string lute (ancient musical instrument)short name for Guiyang (capital of Guizhou province)

Verbliterary or formalBound morpheme#construction#music#geography

Sample Usage

筑路
zhù lù
to build a road
建筑
jiàn zhù
architecture, building

2. Sound

/[t͡ʂu⁵¹]/Tone: 51

筑

zhùzhu4

`(51)

=zhù

Initial Consonant

Type: Unaspirated Retroflex

Sounds like: j/dr retroflex sound

UnaspiratedRetroflex

Airflow Tactile Test: No burst of air. Tongue curled up. Tissue stays still.

Tongue & Mouth Position: Tongue tip curled back near hard palate

Final Rhyme

Vowel Group: -u vowel group

Sounds like: oo sound as in 'boot'

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

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

Tone

T4 (51)

5 → 1 (51)

4th Tone (High-Falling)

Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 4 starts high and drops sharply like a command or a definitive 'No!'.

👂

Listening trap: Confusing the retroflex initial 'zh' with the alveolar affricate 'j' or retroflex 'ch'. Ensure your tongue is pulled back, not flat against your teeth.

👋

Physical Tone Gesture: A sharp karate chop downwards, mirroring the high-to-low plummet of Tone 4.

3. Writing

Topology: Left-right · Strokes: 12 strokes

Writing Balance Rule: The left radical (竹) is compressed horizontally to make room for the complex phonetic/semantic right component (巩). Keep the overall glyph balanced and centered.

4. Components

Radical 竹 · Bamboo Radical (bamboo)

Semantic Clue (形旁): 竹 (Indicates that the ancient musical instrument or building materials were originally made from bamboo.)

Phonetic Clue (声旁): 巩 (original sound: gǒng/zhù)

The bamboo radical (竹) on the left pairs with the construction/solidifying component (巩) on the right to represent building solid structures or stringed instruments made of bamboo.

竹 bamboo radical indicating material
巩 phonetic and structural component hinting at firmness and building

5. History

Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)

Origin: Originally combined bamboo (竹) with a phonetic element indicating solidity or pounding earth (巩). Historically referred to ancient pounded-earth walls and a bamboo stringed musical instrument.

Semantic Evolution: Expanded from specific bamboo instruments and rammed-earth construction to general verbs of building and constructing, as well as acting as an abbreviation for Guiyang.

Ancient Chinese city walls were famously built by pounding earth tightly between wooden or bamboo frames, connecting bamboo to construction.

6. Sinosphere

🇯🇵

Kanji (Japanese)

On: チク / Kun: ，きず.く

🇰🇷

Hanja (Korean)

築

7. Memory

Vivid Mnemonic Story

To BUILD (zhù) a solid house, workers use sturdy BAMBOO (竹) poles reinforced solidly together (巩).

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

建筑

jiàn zhùarchitecture / buildingCombines 'establish' and 'build'.

Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)

贮(zhù)

Has the shell/money radical (贝) instead of bamboo (竹), meaning to store or stockpile wealth.

8. Mastery

Active Recall Challenge

我们要努力[___]美好的未来。

Clue: zhù

Common Learner Pitfall

Confusing the fourth tone (zhù) with second or third tones, or incorrectly writing the complex right-hand component (巩) with incorrect stroke order.

Memory Prompts

Recognition: What does the character 筑 mean when seen in 建筑 (jiànzhù)?

Production: How do you write the character for 'to build/construct' (zhù) with the bamboo radical?

筑zhùbuild, construct, or a five-string lute

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