How to Write 拯 (zhěng) — Meaning “to save; to rescue”

Imagine a person falling into a deep pit (丞 looks like a shape with a person in the middle) and you stretch out your hand (扌) to save them. This picture of "hand reaching down to rescue" helps you recall 拯 means "to save".

When writing 拯, first write the radical 扌, then the right part 丞. Pay special attention to the bottom of 丞 — it ends with a small dot, not a horizontal line. Many learners forget this dot, so remember it like a final "rescue signal" at the bottom.

While 拯 has 丞 on the right, 扭 has 丑 on the right. Their meanings are completely different: 拯 means "to rescue," while 扭 means "to twist." Visually, the right parts of 扭 look like a hook and a short horizontal, whereas 拯's right side has more strokes including a dot.

拯 appears in formal or serious contexts such as news reports about rescue operations or in literary works. Common words are 拯救 (to save) and 拯溺 (to save someone from drowning). It is not used in everyday casual speech but carries strong heroic or life-saving meaning.

Common words containing 拯 include: 拯救 (zhěng jiù) — to save; to rescue; 拯溺 (zhěng nì) — to save from drowning; 援拯 (yuán zhěng) — to rescue; to save.