How to Write 淌 (tǎng) — Meaning “to drip; to flow; to trickle”

Imagine water (氵) dripping slowly from a tall (sounds like 尚) rooftop — each drop 'tangs' as it hits the ground. This reminds you that 淌 means 'to drip' or 'to flow'.

Write the water radical 氵 first as three strokes (dot, dot, lift). Then write 尚: start with a short vertical stroke, a left dot, then the small mouth on top, and finally the bottom part. Be careful not to make the right side too wide or the strokes too close together.

Compared to 洁 (jié, clean), 淌 has 尚 on the right instead of 吉, and means 'to flow' rather than 'clean'. Compared to 洄 (huí, backflow), 淌 has 尚 instead of 回, and refers to general dripping or flowing, not specifically returning water.

You often see 淌 in words like 流淌 (liquid running), 淌汗 (to sweat), and 淌眼泪 (to shed tears). It is a descriptive verb used for liquids moving slowly. Though not in HSK, it appears in literature nature writing, and everyday expressions about sweating or crying.

Common words containing 淌 include: 流淌 (liú tǎng) — flow / run (of liquid); 淌汗 (tǎng hàn) — to sweat; to perspire; 淌眼泪 (tǎng yǎn lèi) — to shed tears.