How to Write 莹 (yíng) — Meaning “Lustrous / Translucent”

Imagine a piece of precious jade (玉) lying in the grass (艹) and sparkling with a clear, translucent glow. The grass hides the jade, but its bright luster still shines through. This image links the components to the meaning of "lustrous and translucent."

When writing 莹, first draw the grass radical 艹 with the left and right vertical strokes sloping inward. Then write 玉 below, making sure the horizontal strokes are even and the dot is centered. A common mistake is making the grass too wide or the jade too tall, so keep the top compact and the bottom balanced.

莹 contains the jade component 玉, while 兹 has 玄 (mysterious) under the grass and means "now" or "this." 苑 has 夗 under the grass and means "garden" or "center." Visually, 莹 looks like a jade piece under grass, whereas the others have different bottom parts with unrelated meanings.

莹 is commonly used in words like 晶莹 (sparkling and translucent) for gems, ice, or dew, and 莹白 (lustrous white) for skin or porcelain. Culturally, 莹 is a popular character in female names, symbolizing purity, brightness, and elegance.

Common words containing 莹 include: 晶莹 (jīng yíng) — Sparkling and translucent; 莹白 (yíng bái) — Lustrous white; 莹润 (yíng rùn) — Lustrous and smooth.