How to Write 宦 (huàn) — Meaning “Official; eunuch.”

Imagine a minister (臣) working under a palace roof (宀) — that minister is either a high official or a eunuch. This visual helps you connect the components to the meaning of "official" or "eunuch."

Write the roof radical 宀 first, then the 臣 part below. Make sure 臣 is not too wide and has six strokes, not four like 巨 (jù). A common mistake is writing 臣 as 巨, so carefully include the top horizontal stroke.

宦 (huàn) has 臣 (minister) under the roof, meaning official or eunuch. 宋 (sòng) has 木 (tree) under the roof, meaning the Song dynasty. 完 (wán) has 元 (head) under the roof, meaning complete or finish. The bottom components are visually different and change the meaning entirely.

宦 is not common in daily speech but appears in historical terms like 宦官 (huàn guān, eunuch) and literary expressions like 官宦 (guān huàn, officialdom) and 宦海 (huàn hǎi, the treacherous world of officials). It is mostly used in writing about ancient Chinese court and bureaucracy.

Common words containing 宦 include: 宦官 (huàn guān) — Eunuch.; 官宦 (guān huàn) — Officialdom; 宦海 (huàn hǎi) — Officialdom; the world of officials..