How to Write 孨 (zhuǎn) — Meaning “Weak or cautious.”

Imagine three little children standing in a line, looking around nervously before crossing the street. Their timid, careful behavior reminds you of the meaning "cautious and timid." The three 子 parts are like three kids holding hands.

Write each 子 in its usual order: first the horizontal hook, then the vertical hook, and finally the horizontal stroke. Stack them from top to bottom, making each 子 slightly smaller than the single character so the whole fits neatly. A common mistake is writing the three parts too far apart or uneven in size.

孨 has three 子 (child) radicals stacked, while 孚 has a claw-like radical (爪) over a single 子, and 孛 has a cross (十) over a single 子. The visual difference is clear: 孨 is a triple stack, 孚 and 孛 each have a different top component plus one 子. Their meanings are unrelated: 孚 means to trust or hatch, and 孛 means comet or contrary.

孨 is extremely rare in modern Chinese, mostly appearing in classical literature or historical texts. It may be used to write words like 孨子 (orphan) or 孨孨 (cautious and timid), but these are not common in daily conversation. You might encounter it in poetry or formal writing about ancient customs.

Common words containing 孨 include: 孨子 (zhuǎn zi) — Orphan.; 孤孨 (gū zhuǎn) — orphan (rare); 孨孨 (zhuǎn zhuǎn) — Cautious and timid..