How to Write 驯 (xùn) — Meaning “To tame; to train”

Imagine a horse (马) being led along a winding river (川) to learn obedience. The river's flowing path suggests gentle guidance, helping you recall that 驯 means 'to tame' or 'to train' an animal. This visual links the character’s parts to its meaning.

When writing 驯, keep the left radical 马 narrow and the right part 川 balanced, with the first two vertical strokes of 川 slightly shorter than the last. A common mistake is making the horse radical too wide, which disrupts the character’s overall proportion. Practice writing them as a compact unit with even spacing.

驯 (xùn) means 'to tame' or 'to train' and often implies a process of making an animal docile, while 驭 (yù) means 'to drive' or 'to control' a horse or vehicle, focusing on steering. 驮 (tuó) means 'to carry on the back' and is used for loads, like a horse carrying goods. Visually, 驯 uses 川 on the right, 驭 uses 又 (hand), and 驮 uses 大 (big).

驯 appears in words like 驯服 (xùnfú, 'to tame' or 'submissive') and 驯养 (xùnyǎng, 'to domesticate'), often in contexts of animal training or domestication. It can also describe a person’s gentle nature, as in 驯良 (xùnliáng, 'docile'). Culturally, it reflects the traditional relationship between humans and horses in Chinese history.

Common words containing 驯 include: 驯服 (xùn fú) — To tame; submissive; 驯养 (xùn yǎng) — To domesticate; to raise and train; 驯良 (xùn liáng) — Docile; gentle.