How to Write 腆 (tiǎn) — Meaning “to stick out (one's chest or belly)”

Imagine a person sticking out their belly like a proud "典" (an ancient book) under the moonlight — the left side 月 is the moon, and the right side 典 is the book they are showing off. This visual connects the action of sticking out to the character's components.

Write the left radical 月 first with 4 strokes (撇, 横折钩, 横, 横), then the right part 典 with 8 strokes (竖, 横折, 横, 竖, 竖, 横, 撇, 点) for a total of 12. A common mistake is making the left 月 too wide or mixing up the right part with 关 (as in 朕) — remember 典 has a horizontal stroke below the two verticals.

腆 appears most commonly in the word 腼腆 (miǎn tiǎn), meaning 'shy' or 'bashful' — a very common adjective for describing a reserved person. It is also used in 腆着肚子 (tiǎn zhe dǔ zi) to describe sticking out one's belly (often proudly or when pregnant), and in the formal expression 腆颜 (tiǎn yán) meaning 'brazenly' or 'to have the nerve to', usually in self-deprecating or critical writing.

Common words containing 腆 include: 腆着肚子 (tiǎn zhe dǔ zi) — to stick out one's belly; 腼腆 (miǎn tiǎn) — shy / bashful; 腆颜 (tiǎn yán) — brazenly; shamelessly; to have the face to.