How to Write 戬 (jiǎn) — Meaning “to exterminate; to destroy; blessing”

Imagine a spear (戈) advancing (晋) to wipe out enemies — that action is 戬 (jiǎn). For the blessing meaning, picture the spear being put away to bring peace and prosperity, linking to the word 戬谷.

The left part 晋 must be written with 10 strokes, and the top is 亚-like but with a cross shape; remember the right component 戈 has a dot on top of the hook. Common mistakes include forgetting the dot on 戈 or making the left side too narrow — keep both parts balanced and the overall shape slightly wider than tall.

戬 has a left side 晋, while 戟 (jǐ, halberd) has left side 卓 (standing) and means a specific ancient weapon. 戠 (zhí) is a rare character meaning 'to gather' or 'a piece of jade', and its left side is 音 (sound). Visually, 戬 uses 戈 on the right, but 戟 uses a different weapon radical (also 戈 but with a doubled hook).

Today 戬 appears mostly in the name 杨戬 (Yáng Jiǎn), a famous mythological figure from the novel Journey to the West. It is also found in the classical phrase 戬谷 (jiǎn gǔ) meaning 'blessing and prosperity', which is sometimes used in formal or literary contexts.

Common words containing 戬 include: 杨戬 (yáng jiǎn) — Yang Jian (a mythological figure); 戬谷 (jiǎn gǔ) — blessing and prosperity; 戬灭 (jiǎn miè) — to wipe out; to exterminate.