How to Write 塄 (léng) — Meaning “terrace edge / edge of a field”

Imagine a farmer staring (愣) at the edge (塄) of his field made of dirt (土). The 'staring' part helps you recall the sound léng, and the dirt radical reminds you it is an earthen ridge.

Write the left radical 土 first (three strokes: horizontal, vertical, horizontal), then the right side 愣. The right side starts with the radical 忄 (heart, vertical stroke then two dots), followed by 罒 (net, a box with two vertical lines inside) and 方 (square). A common mistake is to make the right side too wide; keep the entire character compact and balanced.

塄 (léng) specifically means the edge or ridge of a terraced field, often made of earth. 垸 (yuàn) refers to a dike or embankment around a field, while 埂 (gěng) means a low ridge between fields, like a path. Visually, 塄 uses 愣 as a phonetic component, whereas 垸 contains 元 and 埂 contains 更.

塄 is not common in daily speech and is mainly used in agricultural contexts, especially in northern China. You might hear it in phrases like 地塄 (dì léng) for the edge of a terraced field or 土塄 (tǔ léng) for an earthen ridge. It appears in local dialects and farming instructions, but is not part of the standard HSK vocabulary.

Common words containing 塄 include: 地塄 (dì léng) — The edge of a terraced field; 塄坎 (léng kǎn) — ridge / bank / terrace edge; 土塄 (tǔ léng) — Earthen ridge; edge of a field.