How to Write 轸 (zhěn) — Meaning “Crossbar at the back of a carriage; to feel sorrow”

Picture a carriage (车) with a crossbar at the back, and imagine a sad person sitting on it, looking back with sorrow. The right part 㐱 can be seen as a person with a drooping head, matching the emotion of deep longing in words like 轸念.

The left radical 车 should be narrow and its vertical stroke must be straight. The right part 㐱 has several short horizontal strokes; the last stroke is a rightward diagonal (捺) that extends slightly past the upper strokes. A common mistake is making the right part too wide, which unbalances the character.

斩 (zhǎn) means 'to behead' and has the right component 斤 (axe), which looks like a short horizontal line with a vertical stroke. 軎 (wèi) is a rare character for 'axle cap' and has a right part that resembles stacked 口 (mouth) shapes. 轸 is the only one with the 㐱 component, which has multiple horizontals and a diagonal.

轸 is not common in daily speech but appears in formal or literary writing, such as in the words 轸念 (to cherish the memory of someone) and 轸怀 (to feel deep concern). It carries a classical, poetic tone of sadness or nostalgia, often used in memorial texts or letters expressing grief.

Common words containing 轸 include: 轸念 (zhěn niàn) — To cherish the memory of; to deeply miss; 轸怀 (zhěn huái) — To cherish the memory of; to feel deep concern; 轸 (zhěn) — Crossbar at the back of a carriage; to feel sorrow.