How to Write 伥 (chāng) — Meaning “A ghost of a person killed by a tiger who helps the tiger kill others.”

Picture a person (亻) who is "long" (长) dead, now following a tiger as its ghostly helper. Imagine the ghost walking beside a tiger, pointing out victims — this visual story links the character to its meaning of an evil accomplice.

Write the left radical 亻 first using a vertical stroke and a left-falling stroke. The right side 长 starts with a left-falling stroke, then a horizontal stroke, a vertical hook, and finally a left-falling stroke and a dot. A common mistake is mixing up the stroke order of 长 — remember the hook comes before the final dot.

什 (shén) has 十 (ten) on the right and means "what" or "assorted," while 仁 (rén) has 二 (two) on the right and means "benevolence." Unlike these neutral or positive characters, 伥 always has a negative meaning, referring to a ghost that helps a tiger or an accomplice to evil. Visually, the right side of 伥 is 长 (long), not 十 or 二.

伥 is rarely used alone; it appears mostly in the idiom 为虎作伥 (wèi hǔ zuò chāng), meaning "to help a villain do evil." This phrase is used in news or writing to criticize someone who assists a bad person. The character comes from an ancient legend where a tiger's victim becomes a ghost that helps the tiger hunt more people.

Common words containing 伥 include: 伥鬼 (chāng guǐ) — A ghost that assists a tiger; an accomplice to a villain.; 为虎作伥 (wèi hǔ zuò chāng) — Help a villain do evil.; 伥伥 (chāng chāng) — Bewildered or lost..