How to Write 炯 (jiǒng) — Meaning “Bright (usually describing eyes)”

Imagine a pair of eyes (like two circles) staring at a campfire (火), and the reflection makes them look super bright and focused. The right part 冋 even looks like a square eye or a spotlight beam.

Write the left radical 火 with the fourth stroke (right dot) slightly raised, and the right part 冋 begins with a vertical stroke then a wide horizontal opening. Be careful not to make the right part too narrow—the inner 口 should be centered and not touch the top or bottom.

Compared to 灶 (stove, zào), 炯 has the right part 冋 instead of 土, and means bright eyes, not a cooking stove. Against 灸 (moxibustion, jiǔ), 炯 uses 火 on the left and 冋 on the right, while 灸 has 火 under 久—so 灸 is about burning herbs for therapy, not brightness.

炯 is almost always used in the phrase 炯炯有神 (jiǒng jiǒng yǒu shén) to describe eyes that are bright, sharp, and full of spirit. It is a positive, literary expression often used to praise someone’s alert gaze or vitality.

Common words containing 炯 include: 炯炯有神 (jiǒng jiǒng yǒu shén) — Eyes bright and full of spirit; 炯炯 (jiǒng jiǒng) — Piercingly bright; 炯然 (jiǒng rán) — Brightly or clearly.