How to Write 睘 (qióng) — Meaning “To look around; solitary.”

Picture a lonely eye (目) wearing a long robe (the lower part 袁 looks like 衣) as it looks around for company. This image combines the visual of the eye with the idea of being solitary. The robe also suggests the sound 'qióng', similar to 'long' but with a 'ch' sound.

Write the 目 radical first in the top half, using 5 standard strokes for 'eye'. Then add the lower part 袁 with 8 strokes, keeping the vertical center aligned to avoid tilting. A common mistake is making the lower part too narrow, which makes the character look squished.

睘 has a complex lower part 袁, while 眦 has 此 (meaning 'this') on the right and 眭 has 圭 (jade). Visually, 睘 looks like an eye over a robe, whereas 眦 and 眭 have simpler, square-like components on the right. In meaning, 睘 means 'to look around' or 'solitary', while 眦 means 'corner of the eye' and 眭 means 'to look deeply'.

睘 is very rare and not in the HSK vocabulary, so you will mostly find it in classical Chinese texts or poetry. For example, the word 睘睘 (qióng qióng) appears in ancient literature to describe a lonely or solitary state. Modern learners may only encounter it when studying advanced character etymology or reading historical works.

Common words containing 睘 include: 睘睘 (qióng qióng) — Solitary; lonely.; 睘视 (qióng shì) — To look around.; 睘然 (qióng rán) — Solitary; alone..