How to Write 伶 (líng) — Meaning “clever; actor”

Picture a clever performer (伶俐) giving commands (令) to an audience. The left side 亻 is a person, and the right 令 looks like a person bowing on stage, helping you recall both the meaning of actor and the smart, witty personality.

Write left component 亻 first (two strokes: slanted line, then vertical), then right component 令 (top stroke, then two dots, then bottom horizontal and vertical). A common mistake is making the right side too wide or forgetting the dot inside 令 — keep the whole character balanced and compact.

伶 (líng) means clever or actor and uses 令 on the right. 仔 (zǐ / zǎi) means young or careful, with 子 (child) on the right. 仕 (shì) means to be an official, with 士 (scholar) on the right. Visually, the right-side components differ: 令 (roof with a dot), 子 (child shape), and 士 (two horizontal lines).

伶 is most common in the word 伶俐 (clever, smart) for describing quick-witted people or animals. It also appears in the old term 伶人 (actor/performer) and the idiom 孤苦伶仃 (alone and miserable). While 伶人 is rarely used today, the character carries a refined, artistic feel from classical theater culture.

Common words containing 伶 include: 伶俐 (líng lì) — clever; smart; witty; 伶人 (líng rén) — actor; performer (old term); 孤苦伶仃 (gū kǔ líng dīng) — solitary and miserable; all alone in the world.