领 (lǐng) - Meaning, Stroke Order & Audio

领

lǐng[ling3]Tone 3

collar, neck, to lead, to receive

HSK 3

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領

Guru Deep Dive

English · collar, neck, to lead, to receive

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Topology:Left-right

Strokes:11

Writing Balance Rule: The left side (fán / ⺍ over 卩) should be compact and narrow, while the right side (頁) must be expansive, giving the character a stable, well-balanced proportion.

Simplification Logic: The traditional form 領 uses the complex component 頁 (head/page). In the simplified form 领, the right side is simplified to 页, reducing stroke count while preserving structural clarity.

1. Meaning

neck or collar

to lead or guideto receive or acceptclassifier for clothing items, mats, or screens

Noun, Verb, and ClassifierNeutral#clothing#actions#leadership

Sample Usage

这件衣服的领子太紧了。
zhè jiàn yīfu de lǐngzi tài jǐn le.
The collar of this piece of clothing is too tight.
请跟我来，我领你们去参观。
qǐng gēn wǒ lái, wǒ lǐng nǐmen qù cānguān.
Please come with me, I will lead you on a tour.

2. Sound

/[liŋ²¹⁴]/Tone: 214

领

lǐngling3

ˇ(214)

=lǐng

Initial Consonant

Type: Alveolar Lateral

Sounds like: l sound

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, then dropped.

Final Rhyme

ing

Vowel Group: -i vowel group

Sounds like: -ing rhymes with 'ping' or 'sing'

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

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

Tone

T3 (214)

2 → 1 → 4 (214)

3rd Tone (Low-Dipping)

Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 3 dips down like a wave trough before rising back up, similar to asking 'Really?' in English disbelief.

Sandhi: When followed by another Tone 3 syllable, it changes to a Tone 2 (rising 35) syllable.

👂

Listening trap: Confusing it with Tone 4 (lìng) or failing to make the dipping contour distinct in fast speech.

👋

Physical Tone Gesture: Trace a checkmark in the air: dip down low from your chest and sweep up to the sky.

3. Writing

Topology: Left-right · Strokes: 11 strokes

Writing Balance Rule: The left side (fán / ⺍ over 卩) should be compact and narrow, while the right side (頁) must be expansive, giving the character a stable, well-balanced proportion.

4. Components

Radical 页 · Page / Head Radical (Head, leaf, page, or facial features)

Semantic Clue (形旁): 页 (Indicates head, neck, and upper body regions)

Phonetic Clue (声旁): 令 (original sound: ling)

A commanding leader (令) with a prominent head and neck (页) who wears a crisp collar and guides the group.

令 Provides the phonetic sound 'ling' and hints at order or command
页 Provides the semantic meaning relating to the head and neck

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

29· Phonetic Root: 令 (líng)

5. History

Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)

Origin: Originally combined the pictograph for head/neck (页) with a phonetic sound indicator (令), representing the physical neck area before expanding metaphorically to collars, leadership, and receiving.

Semantic Evolution: From the physical body part (neck/collar) to abstract extensions like 'leading' (heading a group) and 'receiving' (taking something into one's hands or care).

In classical texts, it frequently denoted the neckline of traditional Chinese robes.

6. Sinosphere

🇻🇳

Sino-Vietnamese

lãnh

Corresponds to the Vietnamese hỏi/ngã tone range.

🇯🇵

Kanji (Japanese)

On: レイ (rei) / リョウ (ryō) / Kun: えり (eri)

🇰🇷

Hanja (Korean)

령

7. Memory

Vivid Mnemonic Story

Imagine a **LEAD**er wearing a shirt with a very stiff **COLLAR** around his **NECK**, standing proudly as he **RECEIVES** an award.

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

邻

línneighborReplaces the right-side head radical with the mound radical (阝), signifying neighboring plots of land.

玲

língtinkling of jadeReplaces the head radical with the jade radical (王/⽟), indicating precious tinkling sounds.

龄

língage, yearsReplaces the right-side head radical with the tooth radical (齿), tracking years of life.

Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)

令(lìng)

令 means 'order/command' and is the phonetic root inside 领, which adds the head/neck radical (页).

8. Mastery

Active Recall Challenge

这件衬衫的[___]太高了，有点扎脖子。

Clue: lǐng zi

Common Learner Pitfall

Confusing the tone contour (Tone 3 dipping-rising) with Tone 4, leading to mispronunciation as lìng.

Memory Prompts

Recognition: What does the character 领 mean when used in verbs like 领导 (to lead) or 领取 (to receive)?

Production: How do you write the character for 'collar/neck' (lǐng) using the command root and page/head radical?

领lǐngcollar, neck, to lead, to receive

Speed:

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