How to Write 胂 (shèn) — Meaning “Arsine”

Picture a "month" (月) calendar with a "stretch" (申) of days marked in red, because arsine is a deadly poisonous gas — you won't stretch your time if you encounter it. Alternatively, think of the right part 申 like a skeleton warning, and 月 as the flesh, reminding you that arsine attacks the body.

Write the left radical 月 (meat radical) with two horizontal strokes inside, not three — a common error is confusing it with 月 (moon radical) which has two strokes but is the same shape. On the right, 申 has a vertical line through the center that must go through both the upper and lower horizontal strokes; make sure the middle horizontal stroke does not extend past the vertical. Total of 9 strokes: 4 on the left (月) and 5 on the right (申).

Modern Chinese uses 胂 almost exclusively in chemistry to name arsine gas and its derivatives like 胂酸 (arsonic acid) or 苯胂 (phenylarsine). It is a technical character not found in HSK or everyday speech, and learners will only encounter it in specialized chemical texts. There is no cultural significance — it is purely a scientific term.

Common words containing 胂 include: 胂酸 (shèn suān) — Arsonic acid; 苯胂 (běn shèn) — Phenylarsine; 甲基胂 (jiǎ jī shèn) — methylarsine.