之 Stroke Order — How to Write 之

Stroke Order

之 is written in 4 strokes, following the standard Chinese stroke order. Start from the radical 丿, then complete the remaining strokes.

Stroke order matters in Chinese: it keeps the character balanced, and it is how dictionaries and handwriting input methods expect a character to be written.

之 Radical and Character Components

Partial breakdown of 之:丶

之 is an ideographic compound. A foot meaning "to follow"; cursive version of 止.

Radical: 丿 + 3 more strokes

之 Pronunciation and Pinyin

zhī

Meanings of 之 in Chinese

zhī之

A grammatical particle indicating possession or a connective relationship, similar to 'of' or '-s' in English.

感到悲伤是人之常情。

Feeling sad is human nature.

A particle used to connect a modifier to the noun it describes, indicating a possessive or descriptive relationship, similar to 'of' or '-s' in English.

成功之钥在于坚持不懈的努力。

The key to success lies in persistent effort.

Used between a subject and its predicate to form a noun phrase or clause, often to describe an action or state. Similar to 'of' or '-ing' in some contexts.

读书之乐，在于沉浸其中。

The joy of reading lies in being immersed in it.

A pronoun, used to replace a person or thing, often functioning as an object in classical Chinese or set phrases.

旧的设备已经被新的技术取而代之。

The old equipment has already been replaced by new technology.

Pronoun, meaning 'this' or 'that', often referring to something previously mentioned or implied, sometimes indicating an opposite situation.

努力学习，才能取得好成绩；反之，则会落后。

Only by studying hard can one achieve good grades; conversely, one will fall behind.

Used as an empty particle or structural word, often to link clauses or phrases, indicating a gradual process or the passage of time, without a specific referential meaning, similar to 'eventually' or 'over time'.

日积月累之，她的烹饪技巧越发娴熟。

With daily accumulation over time, her cooking skills became increasingly proficient.

To go to; to arrive at; to proceed towards a destination.

我将之京城，办理要事

I will go to the capital to handle important affairs.

Common Words and Phrases with 之

zhī之hòu后

After, afterwards, or behind.

晚饭之后，我们一起散步。

After dinner, we took a walk together.

zhī之hū乎zhě者yě也

Archaic or pedantic language, literally 'zhi, hu, zhe, ye,' four classical Chinese function words, used to describe someone who speaks in an overly scholarly or nitpicky manner.

他讲话总是之乎者也，让人听着费劲，一点也不接地气。

He always speaks in a pedantic, 'zhi-hu-zhe-ye' manner, which makes it hard for people to understand him and shows he is completely out of touch with practical matters.

zhī之liú流

People or things of a certain kind, often with a derogatory connotation, similar to 'suchlike' or 'those sorts of people/things'.

他总是喜欢和那些只知道抱怨、不思进取之流待在一起。

He always likes to associate with those of the same ilk who only know how to complain and don't strive for progress.

zhī之qián前

before a specific time or place

请你在离开之前把灯关掉。

Please turn off the lights before you leave.

zhī之zì字lù路

A zig-zag road or path, typically found in mountainous areas, designed to make climbing or descent easier by reducing the gradient. Also known as a switchback.