难能可贵 nánnéngkěguì

HSK level

Traditional form

難能可貴

Part of speech

Idiom / 成语 chéngyǔ Chéngyǔ

难 nán

Type

ideographic

Explanation

Phonosemantic compound. 隹 zhuī represents the meaning and 堇 jǐn represents the sound. The character is based on the original meaning "type of bird", which is unrelated to the modern meaning. The simplified character 难 nán was adapted from the cursive form of the trad

Positional decomposition

⿰又隹

Number of Strokes

能 Néng

Type

pictographic

Explanation

Pictograph of a bear holding meat in its mouth. Based on the original meaning "bear". The meaning of this character has shifted over time and now means "ability; power".

Positional decomposition

⿰⿱厶⺼⿱匕匕

Number of Strokes

可 kě

Type

pictophonetic

Explanation

The right component is a pictograph of an axe handle, now written as 柯 kē (kē). 口 kǒu (mouth) was added later to indicate that the character is only "mouthed", i.e. only used for its phonetic value.

Phonetic compound

口 kǒu

Semantic compound

丁 Dīng

Positional decomposition

⿻丁口

Number of Strokes

贵 guì

Type

pictophonetic

Explanation

Simplified form of 貴 guì . Pictograph of two hands carrying a shell. (Shells were used in ancient china as currency.)

Semantic compound

贝 Bèi

Positional decomposition

⿱⿱中一贝

Number of Strokes

Practice your Chinese writing skills and learn precisely where and when to draw every stroke of the
Chinese word 难能可贵 nánnéngkěguì .
Press the Show Strokes button to see the strokes and their order and hit Start Drawing when you are
ready to practice.

Recommended Books for Learning Mandarin Chinese

Standard Course Packs by Hanban for HSK preparation

HSK Standard Course 1 SET - Textbook +Workbook (Chinese and English Edition)

HSK Standard Course 2 SET - Textbook +Workbook (Chinese and English Edition)

HSK Standard Course 3 SET - Textbook +Workbook (Chinese and English Edition)

HSK Standard Course 6a SET - Textbook +Workbook (Chinese and English Edition)

51+QJcPIAAL

AMAZON BOOKSHELF

Best Books for learning Mandarin

Learning Mandarin Chinese Characters Volume 1: The Quick and Easy Way to Learn Chinese Characters! (HSK Level 1 & AP Exam Prep)

Learning Mandarin Chinese Characters Volume 2: The Quick and Easy Way to Learn Chinese Characters! (HSK Level 2 & AP Study Exam Prep Book)

HSK 1-9 Vocabulary Guide: All 11,092 HSK Vocabularies with Pinyin and Translation (HSK Vocabulary Books)

Chinese Stories for Language Learners: A Treasury of Proverbs and Folktales in Bilingual Chinese and English (Online Audio Recordings Included)

Mandarin Chinese for Beginners: Learning Conversational Chinese (Fully Romanized and Free Online Audio)

Learn Mandarin Chinese Workbook for Beginners: 2 books in 1: A Step-by-Step Textbook to Practice the Chinese Characters Quickly and Easily While ... for Learn Mandarin Chinese for Beginners)

Learn Mandarin Chinese Workbook for Beginners: A Step Step-by -Step Textbook to Practice the Chinese Characters Quickly and Easily While Having Fun (All Tools for Learn Mandarin Chinese for Beginners)

Harvest: Intermediate Chinese - Workbook (Chinese and English Edition)

Harvest: Intermediate Chinese - Textbook (Chinese and English Edition)

Living Language Mandarin Chinese, Complete Edition: Beginner through advanced course, including 3 coursebooks, 9 audio CDs, Chinese character guide, and free online learning

AMAZON BOOKSHELF

难能可贵