How to Write 辗 (niǎn/zhǎn) — Meaning “To roll; to turn over.”

Imagine a big wheel (车) rolling forward and slowly spreading out or unfolding (展) a long carpet as it goes. This mental picture of the wheel moving and flattening helps you link the shape of 展 to the rolling action. The combination of 车 and 展 in your mind will remind you that 辗 means to roll or run over.

Write the left radical 车 first, making it narrow with four strokes: horizontal, then vertical, then horizontal, then vertical. Then write the right part 展, which has ten strokes — note the top is 尸 (like a flag), middle is a horizontal line, and bottom is similar to 衣 but with an extra vertical descending stroke. Keep the left side compact and the right side wider, and do not confuse the bottom of 展 with the simpler 衣 character.

All three characters contain the 车 radical, but their meanings and right parts differ. 辗 means "to roll" or "to toss" and its right side is 展, while 毂 (gǔ) specifically refers to the hub of a wheel and has a different right component. 舆 (yú) means "carriage" or "public" and its right side is 与 with extra strokes; 舆 is used in words like 舆论 (public opinion), not for rolling actions.

辗 appears in common words like 辗转 (zhǎn zhuǎn) meaning "to toss and turn" in bed or "to pass through many places" on a journey, and 辗过 (niǎn guò) meaning "to run over" something with a vehicle. The idiom 辗转反侧 (zhǎn zhuǎn fǎn cè) is a famous phrase from the ancient Book of Songs, describing someone who cannot sleep because of longing, and it is still used today in literature and speech.

Common words containing 辗 include: 辗转 (zhǎn zhuǎn) — To toss and turn; to pass through many places.; 辗转反侧 (zhǎn zhuǎn fǎn cè) — To toss and turn restlessly in bed.; 辗过 (niǎn guò) — To run over; to roll over..