How to Write 衷 (zhōng) — Meaning “heart; inner feelings”

Imagine a coat (衣) that covers your middle (中), hiding your true emotions inside. The coat represents concealment, and the middle is where your heart lies.

Write the radical 衣 first, making it wide enough to contain the inner component 中. A common mistake is writing 衣 and 中 separately instead of placing 中 inside the lower part of 衣. Ensure the vertical stroke of 中 aligns with the center.

衷 has 中 (middle) inside 衣, meaning inner feelings. 表 has a different top component (like 夂 or 毛) and means outer or surface. 衮 contains 公 (public) inside 衣 and refers to an imperial robe. Visually, 衷's inner part is symmetrical with a vertical line, unlike the others.

衷 appears in formal or literary expressions, such as 衷心 (heartfelt) for sincere gratitude, 苦衷 (hidden difficulties), and 言不由衷 (speaking insincerely). It is not in HSK and is more common in written Chinese or polite speech.

Common words containing 衷 include: 衷心 (zhōng xīn) — heartfelt; sincere; 苦衷 (kǔ zhōng) — Difficulties one is reluctant to discuss / secret trouble; 言不由衷 (yán bù yóu zhōng) — to speak insincerely / not mean what one says.