How to Write 氰 (qíng) — Meaning “Cyanogen”

Imagine a bright green (青) cloud of gas (气) floating in the air — that cyan-colored gas is dangerous cyanogen. The color "cyan" sounds like the first syllable of "cyanogen," and the green color links to the 青 component. This mental picture helps you associate the radical and phonetic part with the meaning.

When writing 氰, first write the 气 radical: a short horizontal stroke, then a left-falling stroke (撇), and finally a right hook (横折弯钩) that extends slightly outward. Then add the 青 component underneath, paying close attention to the balance — the top part of 青 (the 龶 portion) should be narrow, and the bottom 月 should be wide enough to support the whole character. A common mistake is making the 气 hook too tight or misaligning the 青 part too far to the right.

氰 (qíng) means cyanogen, a toxic gas, while 氦 (hài) means helium, an inert noble gas, and 氤 (yīn) describes a dense, misty atmosphere. Visually, all three share the 气 radical, but their right-side components differ: 氰 uses 青, 氦 uses 亥, and 氤 uses 因. Their meanings are completely different, so focus on the right part to distinguish them.

氰 appears mainly in scientific and chemical contexts, especially in words like 氰化物 (cyanide) and 氢氰酸 (hydrocyanic acid). These are dangerous industrial chemicals often discussed in safety regulations or chemistry textbooks. You will rarely see 氰 in everyday conversation, but it is important in fields like toxicology and mining.

Common words containing 氰 include: 氰化物 (qíng huà wù) — Cyanide; 氰气 (qíng qì) — Cyanogen gas; 氢氰酸 (qīng qíng suān) — hydrocyanic acid.