How to Write 征 (zhēng) — Meaning “to levy; to recruit; to go on a campaign”

Picture a person walking (彳) toward a target that is marked with a plus sign (正). This suggests you are "on a campaign" to hit the target, or you are "levying" resources by moving toward them. The plus sign also reminds you that the action is "correct" or official.

Write the left radical 彳 first with 3 strokes: left falling, left falling, then a short horizontal. Then write the right part 正 with 5 strokes: horizontal, vertical, horizontal in the middle, vertical, and a final long horizontal. A common mistake is making the bottom horizontal of 正 too long or forgetting the top horizontal — keep it balanced and slightly narrower than the radical.

征 has the right component 正 (upright), while 彷 has 方 (square) and means "to wander" or "resemble." 彸 is a rare character with the same radical but a different right part (中), and it means "to walk" or "to move." Visually, 征 is common and relates to official campaigns, whereas 彷 is used in words like 仿佛 (seemingly).

征 appears in everyday words like 特征 (characteristic), 征求 (to seek opinions), and 征收 (to collect taxes). It also has a strong historical usage in military contexts, such as 长征 (the Long March). Culturally, 征 carries a formal, official tone and is often associated with government actions or deliberate movements toward a goal.

Common words containing 征 include: 特征 (tè zhēng) — Characteristic / Feature; 征求 (zhēng qiú) — to solicit; to seek (opinions or advice); 征收 (zhēng shōu) — to collect; to levy (taxes).