How to Write 擎 (qíng) — Meaning “to hold up; to lift”

Imagine you are holding up a heavy engine (引擎) with both hands — the top 手 looks like two hands, and the rest reminds you of the word 'engine' in Chinese. Picture yourself as Optimus Prime (擎天柱) lifting the sky to remember the lifting action.

The top part 手 must be written with the correct stroke order — first the left stroke, then the horizontal, then the vertical hook, then the bottom horizontal. A common mistake is to squeeze the bottom 敬 too narrowly, so make sure the left and right parts of 敬 are balanced and not too compact.

擎 means to lift or hold up, while 搴 (qiān) means to pull up or take by hand, like pulling up a plant. 搿 (gé) means to clap or put hands together. Visually, 擎 has a clear 手 on top and 敬 below, 搴 has 手 on top and 寒 inside, and 搿 has two 手 side by side.

擎 appears in the common word 引擎 (engine), used for car engines or computers. It also appears in 擎天柱 (Optimus Prime from Transformers), which literally means 'pillar holding up the sky' and is a popular cultural reference.

Common words containing 擎 include: 引擎 (yǐn qíng) — engine; 擎起 (qíng qǐ) — to lift up; to hold aloft; 擎天柱 (qíng tiān zhù) — Optimus Prime; a pillar that supports the sky.