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穎 — pronunciations, definitions, and tags
HanziPinyinEnglishTags
穎yǐngrice tassel; sharp; cleverx, 16 strokes, radical 禾
yǐng(ying3) T3
  1. 1rice tassel; sharp; clever
Listen to the audio pronunciation 3 times to gain XP
March 24, 2026

穎yǐng(ying3)

The character 穎 (yǐng) primarily refers to a rice tassel, symbolizing the idea of something that is sharp or pointy. It is also used metaphorically to describe a person who is clever or intelligent. This character is often encountered in literature or discussions about agriculture, as well as in contexts highlighting someone's astuteness.

Strokes16Radical禾
Cultural Note

In traditional Chinese culture, rice is a staple food, and its tassels symbolize abundance and prosperity. The character 穎 thus embodies not only agricultural significance but also the cultural appreciation for intelligence and sharpness in thought.

Memory Tip

Imagine a sharp rice tassel (穎) that stands out among other grains, representing someone's cleverness. The character has the radical for 'rice' (米) at the bottom, reminding you of its agricultural roots, while the top part suggests something pointy or sharp.

Meanings of 穎

yǐng(ying3)
1rice tassel; sharp; clever
Exercise 1 of 2

Listen & Choose the Meaning

Choose the correct answer:

About 穎

穎Simplified
16Strokes
禾Radical
非语素字non-morpheme character (n-m.)Part of Speech
#—Frequency Rank

Podcast: 穎

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Podcast: 穎

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AI Study Notes for 穎

Usage Notes

Be cautious not to confuse 穎 with similar-sounding characters. It is more formal and may not be used in everyday casual conversation. Common collocations include '聪颖' (cōngyǐng) meaning 'intelligent' or 'clever'. Pay attention to the tone; it is pronounced with a rising tone (yǐng).

HSK Study Tips

Although 穎 is not part of the official HSK levels, it is useful to connect it to other HSK words related to intelligence and agriculture, such as '聪明' (cōngmíng, clever) and '稻米' (dàomǐ, rice). Focus on understanding its nuanced meanings and usage in different contexts.

Common Mistakes

Learners often confuse 穎 with the similar-sounding 鳥 (niǎo, bird) due to the shared sound. Make sure to remember that 穎 is related to rice and cleverness, while 鳥 is strictly about birds.

AI-enhanced 2026-03-24

Pronunciation of 穎

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Etymology of 穎

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

rice

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

Jason Etymology Detective

Case file: 穎

  1. 1The meaning half禾 carries the sense.
  2. 2The sound half匕 is there for the reading, not the meaning.
  3. 3The giveawayrice
  4. 4On the record aspictophonetic.

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

Want the full history of 穎? 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 穎?

Decomposition of 穎

IDS Structure⿰⿱匕禾頁
穎Full Character
=
匕bi3
top
禾he2
bottom
頁ye4
Exercise 1 of 3

Identify the Components

Which of these is a component of 穎?

How to say rice tassel; sharp; clever in Chinese

“rice tassel; sharp; clever” in Chinese is穎yǐng

The character 穎 (yǐng) primarily refers to a rice tassel, symbolizing the idea of something that is sharp or pointy. It is also used metaphorically to describe a person who is clever or intelligent. This character is often encountered in literature or discussions about agriculture, as well as in contexts highlighting someone's astuteness.

When to use 穎

Be cautious not to confuse 穎 with similar-sounding characters. It is more formal and may not be used in everyday casual conversation. Common collocations include '聪颖' (cōngyǐng) meaning 'intelligent' or 'clever'. Pay attention to the tone; it is pronounced with a rising tone (yǐng).

What learners get wrong

Learners often confuse 穎 with the similar-sounding 鳥 (niǎo, bird) due to the shared sound. Make sure to remember that 穎 is related to rice and cleverness, while 鳥 is strictly about birds.

Write 穎

穎

Practice writing 穎 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 穎

Words Containing This Character11
脱颖而出tuōyǐng’érchūto rise above others脫穎而出
新颖xīnyǐnglit. new bud新穎
颖Yǐnghusk穎
聪颖smart聰穎
关颖珊Michelle Kwan (1980-), former American figure skater, Olympic medalist關穎珊
邓颖超Deng Yingchao (1904-1992), Chinese communist leader, wife of Zhou Enlai 周恩來|周恩来鄧穎超
王颖Wayne Wang (1949-), Chinese US film director王穎
孔颖达Kong Yingda (574-648), Confucian scholar孔穎達
颖悟bright穎悟
颖果grain穎果
颖上县Yingshang county in Anhui穎上縣
Exercise 1 of 4

Compound Meaning

What does 脱颖而出 mean?

Frequently Asked Questions about 穎

Some synonyms include 聪明 (cōngmíng) meaning 'clever' and 精明 (jīngmíng) meaning 'sharp-witted'.

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