How to Write 陜 (xiá) — Meaning “narrow”

Picture a hill (阝) on the left and a pair of chopsticks (like the two 人 in 夾) squeezing something tightly on the right. The clamped feeling helps you recall the meaning "narrow." You can also imagine walking through a tight mountain pass where the hills press in from both sides.

The right side 夾 has two 人 (person) components placed side by side, not one above the other. A common mistake is writing them stacked vertically like in 陕 (used for Shaanxi province). Also, be sure to write the left radical 阝 with two strokes: first the horizontal hook, then the vertical line.

All three share the left radical 阝, but their right sides are completely different. 邮 has 由 (yóu, meaning "reason") and is used for "post" or "mail." 邯 has 甘 (gān, meaning "sweet") and appears in place names like Handan. 陜 uses 夾 (jiā, clamp) and means "narrow." Just remember the right part of 陜 looks like two people being squeezed together.

陜 is not a common character in everyday modern Chinese; it appears mostly in classical texts or formal writing to mean "narrow." You might find it in phrases like 陜隘 (xiá ài, narrow and confined) or 陜路 (xiá lù, narrow road). Culturally, it is sometimes used to describe a narrow-minded person in the idiom 心胸陜隘 (xīn xiōng xiá ài, narrow-minded).

Common words containing 陜 include: 陜隘 (xiá ài) — narrow and confined; 陜窄 (xiá zhǎi) — narrow and cramped; 陜路 (xiá lù) — narrow road.