How to Write 恒 (héng) — Meaning “Constant; persistent”

Picture a heart (忄) that stays the same day after day, like the sun rising and setting across the horizon (the shape of 亘 suggests a sun above and below a line). Imagine saying "Heng!" as you make a firm, steady heart gesture. This links the sound héng to the idea of lasting stability.

Write the left radical 忄 first: dot, dot, then vertical stroke. For the right side 亘, start with the top horizontal stroke, then the middle element (日-like shape), and finish with the bottom horizontal—do not connect the top and bottom horizontals incorrectly. Common mistakes include making the right side too narrow or forgetting that the bottom horizontal should be slightly longer than the top one.

忡 (chōng) also has the heart radical but its right side is 中 (zhōng, middle), meaning "worried" or "sad," while 忤 (wǔ) has 午 (wǔ, noon) on the right, meaning "disobedient" or "to offend." Unlike these, 恒's right side 亘 means continuity, not a time or direction, so the character focuses on steady persistence, not negative emotions or conflict.

恒 appears in common words like 恒心 (perseverance) and 永恒 (eternity), often used to describe enduring qualities in study, relationships, or nature. Culturally, 恒 is part of the Chinese virtue of perseverance (毅力) and appears in idioms like 持之以恒 (to persist with constancy), reflecting the high value placed on steady effort in Chinese tradition.

Common words containing 恒 include: 恒心 (héng xīn) — Perseverance; persistence; 永恒 (yǒng héng) — Eternal; eternity (simplified); 恒温 (héng wēn) — Constant temperature.