How to Write 泵 (bèng) — Meaning “pump”

Imagine a stone (石) falling into water (水) and creating a pumping splash — this motion reminds you of a pump pushing water. Another trick is to think of the stone as a heavy object that forces water upward, just like a pump does.

First write the top part 石: horizontal stroke, left-falling, horizontal, vertical, horizontal fold, horizontal (6 strokes total for 石). Then write the bottom 水: vertical hook, horizontal left-falling, left-falling, right-falling (4 strokes, total 9). A common mistake is making the top 石 too wide or the bottom 水 too narrow — keep them balanced in width.

泵 (pump) has 石 (stone) on top and 水 (water) below, while 汞 (mercury) has 工 (work) on top and 水 below — the top parts look very different. 沓 (repeated) has 水 on top and 曰 (say) below, so its structure is the opposite of 泵. Remember that 泵 is the only one with a stone on top.

泵 appears mostly in technical or industrial contexts, such as 水泵 (water pump), 气泵 (air pump), and 油泵 (oil pump). It is not a common daily word but is essential for talking about machinery, cars, and household appliances. In China, pumps are widely used in agriculture and manufacturing.

Common words containing 泵 include: 水泵 (shuǐ bèng) — Water pump; 气泵 (qì bèng) — Air pump; 油泵 (yóu bèng) — Oil pump.