How to Write 亘 (gèn) — Meaning “to extend; to span”

Imagine the sun (日) sandwiched between two horizontal lines (二) representing the horizon — the sun 'spans' from one line to the other. This visual helps you remember that 亘 means 'to span'.

The stroke order is: top horizontal, then the left vertical of 日, top horizontal fold, middle horizontal, bottom horizontal of 日, and finally the bottom horizontal line. A common mistake is making the 日 section too wide or forgetting that the bottom line extends beyond the 日 — keep it narrow and centered.

亘 has a 日 (sun) in the middle between two horizontal lines, while 云 (yún, cloud) has a curved stroke above two horizontals. 互 (hù, mutual) is like a grid with two horizontal and two vertical strokes. So 亘 is the only one with a sun shape.

亘 is used mainly in formal or written Chinese, such as 亘古 (gèn gǔ, since ancient times) to emphasize long historical continuity. It also appears in geographical terms like 连亘 (lián gèn, stretching continuously) and 横亘 (héng gèn, to span across). It is not common in daily conversation but appears in literature and historical texts.

Common words containing 亘 include: 连亘 (lián gèn) — to stretch out continuously; 亘古 (gèn gǔ) — since ancient times; throughout the ages; 横亘 (héng gèn) — to span; to stretch across.