How to Write 勰 (xié) — Meaning “harmonious”

Imagine three workers (three 力 characters) all thinking the same idea (思 on top) — they are in harmony. So 勰 looks like a team where everyone pulls together and shares the same mind. This picture of "three strengths plus one thought" helps you recall the meaning "harmonious."

The stroke order follows the left-to-right, top-to-bottom rule: first write the top-left 力, then the top-right 思, then the bottom 力. A common mistake is making the three 力 parts uneven — keep them similar in size, and make sure the bottom 力 is centered under the top-left 力 and the 思. The total stroke count is 15; pay attention not to add extra strokes.

勰 (xié) means harmonious and has three 力 plus 思; 勤 (qín) means diligent and has 堇 (clay) plus 力 — it is about hard work, not harmony. 勦 (chāo or jiǎo) has 巢 (nest) plus 力 and means to destroy or to copy — visually it has a nest-like component on top, not 思. So the key difference is the top part: 思 for 勰, 堇 for 勤, and 巢 for 勦.

勰 is a rare character, not in the HSK list, and mostly appears in classical or literary contexts. It is most famous as the given name of Liu Xie (刘勰), a 6th-century writer who wrote The Literary Mind and the Carving of Dragons (文心雕龙). You may also see it in formal phrases like 勰力 (to work together) or 勰和 (harmonious), but these are uncommon in daily speech.

Common words containing 勰 include: 勰力 (xié lì) — to work together; 勰和 (xié hé) — harmonious and peaceful; 刘勰 (liú xié) — Liu Xie.