How to Write 沉 (chén) — Meaning “to sink; heavy; deep”

Imagine a heavy stone (氵 as water) falling through the water and going 'down'—the right side 冘 looks like a person with arms down. Picture someone sinking into a river: the water (氵) pulls them under (冘).

The left radical 氵 (three dots) should be written close together in a slight curve, not in a straight line. The right part 冘 has the top stroke (点) first, then a horizontal stroke (横) that is slightly sloping, and the last stroke (竖弯钩) must curve smoothly without sharp angles. A common mistake is making the right side too wide or misplacing the hook.

沉 (chén) means 'to sink' or 'heavy' and uses the water radical. 㳄 (xián) is a rare character meaning 'saliva' or 'slobber,' with the radical 欠 (mouth open) instead of water; it's not used in modern Chinese. 氿 (guǐ) means 'spring water' or 'a small stream' and has a different right component (九); it is extremely rare and not related to sinking or weight.

沉 is common in words like 沉重 (heavy/burdensome) for physical weight or serious emotions, and 沉思 (deep thought) for meditation. In Chinese culture, 沉 also appears in idioms like 沉鱼落雁 (chén yú luò yàn), describing extreme beauty that makes fish sink and birds fall—a classic literary expression from ancient texts.

Common words containing 沉 include: 沉重 (chén zhòng) — heavy; serious; burdensome; 沉思 (chén sī) — to ponder; to meditate; deep thought; 下沉 (xià chén) — to sink; to submerge.