How to Write 巅 (diān) — Meaning “summit; peak”

Imagine standing on a mountain (山) and feeling dizzy or 'dizzy' — the word 'dizzy' sounds a bit like 'diān'. The bottom part 颠 even contains 真 (true) and 页 (head), so you can picture 'truly heading to the top'. This visual will help you recall that 巅 means the true peak of a mountain.

The character has 19 strokes, so write each part carefully. Begin with the small 山 on top, then write the left side of 颠 (真) with its straight vertical strokes, and finish with the right side 页. A common mistake is making the 山 too large or misaligning the 真 part; keep the top narrow and the bottom balanced so the whole character looks stable like a peak.

巅 (diān) specifically means 'summit' or 'peak' of a mountain, while 嶷 (yí) is used mainly in the name of the Jiuyi Mountains (九嶷山) and implies loftiness or antiquity. 巆 (yíng) is extremely rare and appears in old texts, often as part of a place name. Visually, 巅 has 颠 underneath, 嶷 has 疑 (doubt), and 巆 has 荧 (glow), so the bottom parts are completely different.

巅 appears in formal or literary descriptions of mountain peaks, such as 山巅 (shān diān) for 'mountain top'. Its most common word is 巅峰 (diān fēng), meaning 'pinnacle' or 'peak', used metaphorically for the highest level in sports, careers, or art, like 巅峰时期 (peak period). It adds a poetic, powerful tone and is not used in everyday casual conversation.

Common words containing 巅 include: 山巅 (shān diān) — Mountain peak; 巅峰 (diān fēng) — pinnacle; peak; summit; 顶巅 (dǐng diān) — Peak; summit.