How to Write 衅 (xìn) — Meaning “Feud / Dispute”

Picture a blood drop (血) split in half (半) by a knife, starting a fierce argument between two people. This violent image of 'half-blood' helps you recall that 衅 means a feud or dispute.

Write the left radical 血 first: a short left stroke, then two vertical strokes (written left to right), a long horizontal stroke at the bottom, and a dot on top. Then the right part 半: dot, left-slanting stroke, left to right horizontal, vertical downward, and a horizontal crossing in the middle. A common mistake is to make the right side too wide or to mix up the order of the two vertical strokes in 血.

Both characters share the radical 血, but 衅 has 半 (half) on the right, while 衄 has 丑 (ugly or an ox-shaped component) on the right. Their meanings are different: 衅 means 'feud' or 'provocation', whereas 衄 means 'nosebleed' or 'defeat'. Visually, 衅 is more common in words like 挑衅, while 衄 is rare and very specialized.

衅 is mostly used in formal or written expressions such as 挑衅 (to provoke) and 寻衅 (to pick a fight). It appears in news reports or legal contexts describing intentional disputes or provocations. Culturally, 衅 carries a negative, confrontational tone and is rarely used in everyday conversations.

Common words containing 衅 include: 挑衅 (tiǎo xìn) — to provoke; provocation; 寻衅 (xún xìn) — To pick a fight; to provoke.; 衅端 (xìn duān) — Cause of a dispute.