How to Write 陧 (niè) — Meaning “Unstable; precarious.”

Imagine a hill (阝) where the sun (日) is so hot that the earth (土) becomes loose and unstable. This mental picture links the parts to the meaning "unstable" or "precarious."

Start with the left radical 阝: write a horizontal left-falling stroke with a hook, then a vertical line. Next write 日 (sun) as a tall rectangle, and finally 土 (earth) with a horizontal, vertical, and bottom horizontal. A common mistake is making the left radical too wide or the 日 too narrow, upsetting the balance.

陧 (niè) means "unstable" and uses the radical 阝 on the left, with 日 and 土 inside. 邮 (yóu) means "post" or "mail" and has the radical 阝 on the right, with 由 inside. 邯 (hán) is a place name and also has the radical on the right, with 甘 inside. Visually, 陧 is unique because its right side combines 日 and 土.

陧 is very rare and not included in the HSK vocabulary. It appears almost only in literary or classical contexts, such as the word 陧杌 (niè wù, meaning "unstable") or in describing precarious political situations. You may encounter it in historical texts or idioms, but not in everyday conversation.

Common words containing 陧 include: 陧杌 (niè wù) — Unstable; precarious.; 陧兀 (niè wù) — Unstable; precarious.; 陧云 (niè yún) — Unstable clouds..