(yàn)

HSK 7-916 strokes
Readingsyànyān

Yan, a vassal state of Zhou in present-day Hebei and Liaoning

Stroke order animation

Character information

Pinyin
yàn / yān
Meaning
Yan, a vassal state of Zhou in present-day Hebei and Liaoning; north Hebei; the four Yan kingdoms of the Sixteen Kingdoms, namely: Former Yan 前燕[Qian2 Yan1] (337–370), Later Yan 后燕 (384–409), Southern Yan 南燕[Nan2 Yan1] (398–410), Northern Yan 北燕[Bei3 Yan1] (409–436); surname Yan
Strokes
16
HSK level
HSK 7-9
Traditional
Same

Origin & structure

Where comes from and how its parts fit together.

Ideograph⿱⿱廿⿻口北灬

A swallow, with its head 廿, wings 北, and tail 灬

A combination of parts whose meanings add up to the whole.

Made of

Parts are arranged top to bottom.

How to write step by step

16 strokes — each frame adds one stroke, shown in dark ink over the lighter ones.

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Words with

Common words using — tap any character to open its stroke-order page.

yànzi
HSK 7-9

swallow

Open 燕子 page →
yàn

baby swallow

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gōngyàn

banquet held for high-ranking imperial or feudal officials

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qiányàn

Former Yan of the Sixteen Kingdoms (337-370)

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lit. the goose comes, the swallow goes (idiom); fig. always on the move

Open 来鸿去燕 page →

the shrike and the swallow fly in different directions (idiom)

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(idiom) to experience the joy of being newly married

Open 新婚燕尔 page →
yānjīng

Yanjing, an old name for Beijing

Open 燕京 page →

Related characters

Ready to master 燕?

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