How to Write 嶂 (zhàng) — Meaning “screen-like peak / cliff”

Imagine a tall mountain (山) that looks like a giant standing screen or a chapter (章) of a book propped up vertically. This visual helps you connect the mountain radical with the idea of a peak that blocks your view like a barrier.

When writing 嶂, keep the mountain radical 山 narrow on the left, about one-third of the character width. The right side 章 has 11 strokes; be careful to write the vertical stroke of 章 straight and avoid making it too tall—its bottom should align with the radical’s bottom.

嶂 specifically means a steep, screen-like mountain peak, while 崴 (wǎi) describes a rugged or uneven terrain (often used in names), and 崽 (zǎi) means "son" or "young animal." Visually, 嶂 has the mountain radical plus 章 on the right, 崴 has 山 plus 威, and 崽 has 山 plus 思 but with a different bottom component.

嶂 is used in literary or descriptive contexts, often in poetry or landscape descriptions to evoke towering, layered mountain peaks. Common words like 屏嶂 (protective screen) and 层嶂 (overlapping peaks) appear in geography texts or classical essays, but the character is not part of everyday speech.

Common words containing 嶂 include: 屏嶂 (píng zhàng) — Protective screen; barrier.; 层嶂 (céng zhàng) — overlapping mountain peaks; 峰嶂 (fēng zhàng) — mountain peaks and ridges.