How to Write 曛 (xūn) — Meaning “twilight / dusk”

Picture the sun (日) being slowly covered by soft smoke (熏) as evening falls, turning the sky a dim yellow. The image of smoke drifting across the sun helps you recall both the shape and the meaning of twilight. Just remember: 'At dusk, the sun gets smoked.'

Start with the left radical 日 (4 strokes), then write the right side 熏 (14 strokes). A common mistake is to misplace the four dots at the bottom of 熏 — they should be evenly spaced under the upper part. Also, make sure the overall character is balanced, with the left side slightly narrower than the right.

曛 means dusk/twilight, while 暾 (tūn) means the rising sun at dawn, and 曙 (shǔ) means daybreak or morning light. Visually, 曛 has the right component 熏, 暾 has 敦, and 曙 has 署. Their meanings are opposites: 曛 is evening, the others are morning.

曛 is a literary or poetic character, not used in everyday conversation. It appears in classical poetry and descriptions of sunset, such as 曛黄 (dusk yellow). Chinese poets often use it to evoke a calm, melancholic twilight atmosphere.

Common words containing 曛 include: 曛黄 (xūn huáng) — dim yellow / twilight yellow; 余曛 (yú xūn) — twilight; lingering light of sunset; 曛夕 (xūn xī) — evening glow / twilight.