繪 (huì) - Meaning, Stroke Order & Audio

繪

huì[hui4]Tone 4

to draw, to paint

HSK 6

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绘

Guru Deep Dive

English · to draw, to paint

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Topology:Left-right

Strokes:9

Writing Balance Rule: The left radical (纟) takes up about one-third of the horizontal space, leaving the right component (会) wider and structurally balanced.

Simplification Logic: The traditional component 糸 (silk threads) was simplified to 纟 in the modern standard character.

1. Meaning

to draw or paint pictures; to depict or portray a scene

to sketchto embroider (literary)

VerbFormal / Literary#art#creation#action

Sample Usage

画家正在认真地 and 描绘祖国的大好河山。
huàjiā zhèngzài rènzhēn de miáohuì zúguó de dàhǎo héshān.
The artist is carefully portraying the magnificent rivers and mountains of the motherland.
这本书的插图是由知名插画家绘制的。
zhè běn shū de chātú shì yóu zhīmíng chāhuàjiā huìzhì de.
The illustrations in this book were drawn by a renowned illustrator.

2. Sound

/[xweɪ̯⁵¹]/Tone: 51

繪

huìhui4

`(51)

=huì

Initial Consonant

Type: Velar Fricative

Sounds like: h as in 'house'

Unaspirated

Airflow Tactile Test: Gentle throat friction (like fogging glasses on a cold day).

Tongue & Mouth Position: Glottal or velar constriction with airflow passing freely through the oral cavity.

Final Rhyme

Vowel Group: -i vowel group

Sounds like: -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)

5 → 1 (51)

4th Tone (High-Falling)

Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 4 starts high and drops sharply to the bottom of your vocal range, matching a firm English command like 'Stop!'

👂

Listening trap: Confusing the falling tone 4 with tone 3, or mishearing the diphthong ending.

👋

Physical Tone Gesture: Tone 4 drops sharply like nodding your head 'yes' firmly or chopping downward with your hand.

3. Writing

Topology: Left-right · Strokes: 9 strokes

Writing Balance Rule: The left radical (纟) takes up about one-third of the horizontal space, leaving the right component (会) wider and structurally balanced.

Simplification Logic: The traditional component 糸 (silk threads) was simplified to 纟 in the modern standard character.

4. Components

Radical 纟 · Silk Radical (silk, thread, fibers)

Semantic Clue (形旁): 纟 (Indicates threads, textiles, and by extension weaving, embroidering, and painting on silk canvases.)

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

Threads (纟) come together (会) to form a colorful tapestry or painted canvas.

纟 silk thread
会 to gather / assemble (providing the sound huì)

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

9· Phonetic Root: 會 ()

5. History

Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)

Origin: Originally formed by combining the silk radical (糸) representing textiles/canvases with 会 to phoneticize the sound huì, representing the art of drawing or embroidery on fine fabrics.

Semantic Evolution: Shifted from textile decoration and embroidery to general painting, drawing, and depicting visual concepts.

Ancient Chinese art heavily relied on painting on silk scrolls, linking the silk radical directly to early visual arts.

6. Sinosphere

🇻🇳

Sino-Vietnamese

hội

Mandarin Tone 4 corresponds roughly to Vietnamese falling/heavy tones.

🇯🇵

Kanji (Japanese)

On: カイ (kai) / エ (e) / Kun: えが.く (egaku)

🇰🇷

Hanja (Korean)

회

Sound Shift Bridge: The phonetic element gives hints of sound consistency across related derivation patterns.

7. Memory

Vivid Mnemonic Story

Imagine an artist using silk threads (纟) that all come together (会) to paint a magnificent masterpiece.

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

会

huìto meet / canWithout the silk radical, it means gathering or meeting.

桧

guìJapanese juniperUses the wood radical (木) instead of the silk radical.

Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)

会(huì)

会 is the root component without the silk radical (纟).

描(miáo)

描 uses the hand radical (扌) for physical tracing or sketching.

8. Mastery

Active Recall Challenge

這位藝術家擅長用色彩[___]大自然的美麗。

Clue: huì

Common Learner Pitfall

Confusing the simplified silk radical (纟) with the hand radical (扌) or mixing up the tone with tone 1 or tone 3.

Memory Prompts

Recognition: When you see 绘, what does it mean and how is it pronounced?

Production: How do you write the character for 'to draw/paint' (huì) with the silk radical?

繪huìto draw, to paint

Speed:

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