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璋 — pronunciations, definitions, and tags
HanziPinyinEnglishTags
璋zhāngjade plaything; jade ornamentg, 15 strokes, radical 王
璋zhāngancient stone ornamentunknown, 15 strokes, radical 王
zhāng(zhang1) T1
  1. 1jade plaything; jade ornament
  2. 2ancient stone ornament
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March 24, 2026

璋zhāng(zhang1)

璋 (zhāng) refers to a type of jade ornament or plaything traditionally used in ancient China. These artifacts were not only decorative but also held cultural significance, often symbolizing status and wealth among elite members of society. Today, the term may also evoke the historical and aesthetic value of jade in Chinese culture.

Strokes15Radical王
Cultural Note

In Chinese culture, jade is revered not just for its beauty but also for its supposed protective and healing properties. Historically, jade objects like 璋 were often buried with important figures, reflecting their value in both life and death.

Memory Tip

Think of 'zhāng' as a 'jewel' (sounds like 'zhang') that you can 'hang' (plaything) around your neck. The character 璋 has the radical 玉 (yù), meaning 'jade', which connects directly to its meaning as a jade ornament. Visualize a beautiful jade piece hanging from a royal's neck, shimmering in the sunlight.

Meanings of 璋

zhāng(zhang1)
1jade plaything; jade ornament
2ancient stone ornament
Exercise 1 of 2

Listen & Choose the Meaning

Choose the correct answer:

About 璋

璋Simplified
15Strokes
王Radical
语素morpheme (morph.)Part of Speech
#—Frequency Rank

Podcast: 璋

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Podcast: 璋

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AI Study Notes for 璋

Usage Notes

Be careful not to confuse 璋 with similar-sounding words like 张 (zhāng), which means 'to open' or 'to stretch'. This term is more formal and specific to discussions about jade and ancient artifacts, so it may not be commonly used in everyday conversation. Collocations include '玉璋' (jade ornament) and '古璋' (ancient jade).

HSK Study Tips

As 璋 is not part of the official HSK vocabulary, learners may encounter it in specialized texts about Chinese history or art. Focus on related terms like 玉 (yù, jade) and explore the cultural significance of jade in Chinese society, which often appears in HSK Level 3 and 4 materials.

Common Mistakes

Learners often mispronounce 璋 as 'zhang' with a flat tone instead of the correct high-level tone 'zhāng'. Additionally, some might confuse it with related terms like 玉, so it's important to remember the specific context of jade ornaments.

AI-enhanced 2026-03-24

Pronunciation of 璋

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Etymology of 璋

Formation Typepictophonetic
六书 ClassificationPhono-semantic (形声字)~80-90% of characters
Explanation

Phonosemantic compound. 王 represents the meaning and 章 represents the sound.

Memory Hint

jade

Semantic (meaning)王
+
Phonetic (sound)章
Learn more about Phono-semantic (形声字) characters

Jason Etymology Detective

Case file: 璋

Phonosemantic compound. 王 represents the meaning and 章 represents the sound.

  1. 1The meaning half王 carries the sense.
  2. 2The sound half章 is there for the reading, not the meaning.
  3. 3The giveawayjade
  4. 4On the record aspictophonetic.

Every clue here comes from the character's recorded structure — nothing is guessed.

Want the full history of 璋? Jason searches the paleographic record, weighs the competing accounts and judges the popular story.

Charged once for this character — everyone reads it afterwards.
Exercise 1 of 1

Character Formation Type

What type of character formation is 璋?

Decomposition of 璋

IDS Structure⿰王章
璋Full Character
=
王Wang2
left
章Zhang1
right
Exercise 1 of 2

Identify the Components

Which of these is a component of 璋?

How to say jade plaything; jade ornament in Chinese

“jade plaything; jade ornament” in Chinese is璋zhāng

璋 (zhāng) refers to a type of jade ornament or plaything traditionally used in ancient China. These artifacts were not only decorative but also held cultural significance, often symbolizing status and wealth among elite members of society. Today, the term may also evoke the historical and aesthetic value of jade in Chinese culture.

When to use 璋

Be careful not to confuse 璋 with similar-sounding words like 张 (zhāng), which means 'to open' or 'to stretch'. This term is more formal and specific to discussions about jade and ancient artifacts, so it may not be commonly used in everyday conversation. Collocations include '玉璋' (jade ornament) and '古璋' (ancient jade).

What learners get wrong

Learners often mispronounce 璋 as 'zhang' with a flat tone instead of the correct high-level tone 'zhāng'. Additionally, some might confuse it with related terms like 玉, so it's important to remember the specific context of jade ornaments.

Write 璋

璋

Practice writing 璋 stroke by stroke. Watch the animation to learn the stroke order, then try writing it yourself.

Write correctly 3 times to earn XP

Word Family of 璋

Words Containing This Character2
朱元璋Zhu Yuanzhang, personal name of first Ming dynasty emperor Hongwu 洪武[Hóng​wǔ]
璋zhāngancient stone ornament
Exercise 1 of 2

Compound Meaning

What does 朱元璋 mean?

Frequently Asked Questions about 璋

Jade ornaments hold significant cultural value in China, symbolizing status, protection, and good fortune.

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