How to Write 腾 (teng/téng) — Meaning “to soar / to gallop / to clear out”

Imagine a horse (马) galloping so fast that its body (⺼) becomes a blur — the right side looks like the horse's legs in motion. Or think of "teng" as the sound of hooves beating the ground.

Start with the left radical ⺼ (3 strokes: horizontal, vertical, horizontal), then write the right part: first the top '丷' (2 dots), then a vertical line, then a horizontal, then 马-like strokes. A common mistake is making the right part too wide or confusing it with 滕 — keep the right side compact and balanced.

All three share the left radical ⺼, but 脚 (foot) has 却 on the right and 脱 (to take off) has 兑 on the right. 腾 has a distinct right part that combines a '丷' on top with a shape similar to 马 below, and it means to soar or gallop, not a body part or removing.

腾 appears in common words like 沸腾 (boiling), 腾出 (clear out or make room), and 折腾 (to toss and turn or to cause a stir). It often carries a sense of upward movement or activity, and culturally 腾 is used in names and idioms like 万马奔腾 (ten thousand horses galloping) to suggest energy and speed.

Common words containing 腾 include: 沸腾 (fèi téng) — Boiling; 腾出 (téng chū) — to clear out / to make room for; 折腾 (zhē teng) — to toss and turn; to cause a stir; to do something over and over.