How to Write 迁 (qiān) — Meaning “to move; to shift”

Imagine a thousand (千) people walking (辶) together to a new home — this visual of a crowd relocating links the components to the meaning 'to move.'

Write the radical 辶 first — the dot, then the left-falling stroke, then the gentle curve. The right part 千 has a flat horizontal stroke, then a short vertical, and a long diagonal stroke that ends just above the radical's curve. A common mistake is making the 辶 too narrow or the 千's diagonal too short.

迁 has 千 on the right, while 巡 has 巛 (three short strokes) and 边 has 力 (strength). Meaning-wise, 迁 is about relocating, 巡 is about patrolling or touring, and 边 means 'side' or 'border.' Visually, the right side of 巡 looks like three dots or wavy lines, and 边 uses a strength radical.

迁 appears in words like 搬迁 (relocate), 变迁 (changes over time), and 迁就 (to accommodate). Historically, 迁 often refers to moving a capital city, such as 迁都 (move the capital), which was a major decision in Chinese dynasties.

Common words containing 迁 include: 搬迁 (bān qiān) — relocate; 变迁 (biàn qiān) — changes or transitions over time; 迁就 (qiān jiù) — to accommodate; to yield to.