How to Write 勈 (yǒng) — Meaning “Brave”

Imagine a brave warrior (力) marching through a tunnel (甬) without fear. The tunnel (甬) looks like a path with an opening, and the strength (力) beside it shows the courage to go forward. This visual of strength moving through a passage helps recall 勈 as 'brave'.

Write the left side 甬 first: start with the top horizontal stroke, then the vertical hook, then the middle horizontal, and finally the bottom two vertical strokes. The right side 力 is written last: a horizontal hook followed by a left-falling stroke. A common mistake is making the two vertical strokes on the left too tall or uneven—keep them parallel and similar in height.

勈 (yǒng) means 'brave' and contains 甬 + 力, while 助 (zhù) means 'to help' and has 且 + 力. 努 (nǔ) means 'to exert' or 'endeavor' and combines 奴 + 力. Visually, 勈 uses 甬 on the left, 助 uses 且, and 努 uses 奴—each different component changes the meaning entirely.

勈 is very rare in modern Chinese and is not part of the HSK vocabulary list. It appears in Chinese classical literature or poetic contexts to describe bravery, often in compound words like 勈力 (brave and powerful) or 勈夫 (brave man). You might encounter it in historical or martial arts texts, but for everyday use, 勇敢 (yǒnggǎn) is the common word for 'brave'.

Common words containing 勈 include: 勈力 (yǒng lì) — Brave and powerful; 勈夫 (yǒng fū) — Brave man; 勈健 (yǒng jiàn) — Brave and strong.