How to Write 振 (zhèn) — Meaning “to shake; to flap; to brace up”

Imagine your hand (扌) waking up at dawn (辰, which originally meant "morning") and shaking off sleep. You brace yourself up and start the day with energy. So 振 means to shake or cheer up—just like your morning hand motion.

Write the hand radical 扌 first: left-falling stroke, then vertical hook, then lift. The right part 辰 starts with a horizontal stroke, then left-falling, then horizontal, then two horizontals, and finally a right-falling stroke. Keep the right side slightly wider than the left, and make sure the final stroke (right-falling) extends downward to balance the character.

振 (zhèn) means to shake, flap, or brace up. 㧜 (luǒ) is extremely rare and means to strike or beat—it has a different right component and is not used in modern Chinese. 抨 (pēng) means to attack or impeach verbally, as in 抨击 (pēng jī). Unlike 振, 抨 does not involve physical shaking or cheering up.

振 appears in common words like 振动 (vibration) in physics and 振作 (to cheer up) in daily encouragement. It is also used in 振兴 (revitalize), often for economic or cultural revival, like 乡村振兴 (rural revitalization). Culturally, 振 conveys a positive, uplifting force, as in the famous saying 振奋人心 (to inspire people).

Common words containing 振 include: 振动 (zhèn dòng) — vibration; to vibrate; 振作 (zhèn zuò) — to pull oneself together; to cheer up; 振兴 (zhèn xīng) — to revitalize; to promote; to develop.