How to Write 汹 (xiōng) — Meaning “Turbulent / surging”

Imagine a fierce, dangerous mountain (凶) with water (氵) rushing down its slopes in a turbulent flood. This visual of "water plus danger" helps recall that 汹 means surging or turbulent.

Write the water radical (氵) as three dots first, then the right side 凶: start with the three‑stroke outline 凵 (left vertical, bottom horizontal, right vertical) and finish with the cross 乂 (two diagonal strokes). A common mistake is writing the cross before the box or making the left radical too large.

汹 uses 凶 (fierce) on the right, meaning turbulent water; 㳄 uses 欠 (lack/yawn) and is a rare character for saliva or flowing; 氿 uses 九 (nine) and refers to a spring of water. Visually, the right parts are clearly different: 凶 versus 欠 versus 九.

汹 appears in words like 汹涌 (surging waves) to describe rough seas or crowds, and in the idiom 气势汹汹 meaning aggressive or overbearing. It is used in formal or literary Chinese, often in poetry, news reports about protests, or descriptions of natural disasters.

Common words containing 汹 include: 汹涌 (xiōng yǒng) — Surging / turbulent; 汹汹 (xiōng xiōng) — Tumultuous / menacing; 气势汹汹 (qì shì xiōng xiōng) — Aggressive / Fierce / Overbearing.