How to Write 奄 (yǎn) — Meaning “suddenly / breathing feebly”

Picture a big (大) person suddenly collapsing and breathing feebly, gasping for air. The bottom part looks like a bent figure struggling, helping you recall the meanings 'suddenly' and 'breathing feebly'.

Start with 大 as wide strokes, then write the lower part as a narrow 曰 or 申-like shape. Common mistake is making the top too small or the bottom too wide — keep 大 broad and the lower section compact and centered.

奄 (yǎn) has a big top (大) and a bottom with a horizontal stroke and vertical line through it. 买 (mǎi) has a different top (like 一 plus 乛) and means 'buy'. 夷 (yí) has a large person shape (大) with a bow (弓) inside, meaning 'smooth' or 'foreign'.

奄 appears in literary or formal phrases like 奄奄一息 (at death's door) and 奄忽 (suddenly). It is not common in daily speech but appears in news or writing to describe a dying state or abrupt change.

Common words containing 奄 include: 奄奄一息 (yǎn yǎn yī xī) — at one's last gasp / on the verge of death; 奄忽 (yǎn hū) — suddenly / in an instant; 奄有 (yǎn yǒu) — to possess / to occupy.