How to Write 襢 (tǎn) — Meaning “to bare (one's chest or shoulder)”

Imagine a person is wearing a shirt (衤) but suddenly feels hot (亶 sounds like "tan" in English, like getting a tan). So they tear open the shirt and bare their chest — that action is 襢 (tǎn).

The left side 衤 has 5 strokes — note the dot and the two short strokes on the right; do not confuse it with 衤 vs 礻. The right side 亶 is complex with a long horizontal stroke through the middle — keep the proportions balanced so the character is not too wide.

襢 (tǎn) means to bare the upper body, while 褶 (zhě) means a fold or pleat in clothing, and 襁 (qiǎng) means a swaddling cloth for babies. Visually, 襢 has a more complex right side (亶), whereas 褶 uses 習 and 襁 uses 強.

襢 is very rare in modern daily language, mostly appearing in classical texts or historical dramas describing someone baring their chest or shoulder. For example, 襢裼 (tǎn tì) refers to being stripped to the waist, often in a scene of anger or mourning according to ancient rites.

Common words containing 襢 include: 襢裼 (tǎn tì) — to bare the upper body or to be stripped to the waist; 襢衣 (tǎn yī) — unlined garment or thin clothing; 襢免 (tǎn miǎn) — to bare the shoulder and wear a mourning headband (ancient rite).