How to Write 姮 (héng) — Meaning “used in the name of the Moon Goddess”

Imagine the word 'her' (女) with a 'constant' (恒) companion—the moon. You can think of the Moon Goddess as 'her constant' light in the night sky, which helps associate the shape with the sound héng.

Write the left radical 女 first with three strokes (撇点, 撇, 横), then the right side 恒 with nine strokes total. A common mistake is making the right part too wide; keep the character balanced by writing the 女 narrow and the right side compact, especially the 忄 (vertical heart) part.

姮 (héng) has the right side 恒 (constant) and is only used in the name of the Moon Goddess. 妊 (rèn) means 'pregnant' and has the right side 壬 (a radical). 妍 (yán) means 'beautiful' and has the right side 开 (open). Visually, 姮's right side is more complex with a vertical heart 忄 and a horizontal line above.

姮 is rarely used alone; it almost always appears in the name 姮娥 (Chang'e), the Chinese Moon Goddess. You might encounter it in classical poetry, mythology discussions, or cultural contexts like the Mid-Autumn Festival. Modern Chinese speakers recognize it but do not use it in daily conversation.

Common words containing 姮 include: 姮娥 (héng é) — Chang'e (the Moon Goddess); 姮娥舞 (héng é wǔ) — the dance of Chang'e; 姮娥月 (héng é yuè) — the moon (poetic).