弄 Stroke Order — How to Write 弄
弄 is written in 7 strokes, following the standard Chinese stroke order. Start from the radical 廾, 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.
弄 Radical and Character Components
弄 is an ideographic compound. Two hands 廾 playing with a piece of jade 玉; 廾 also provides the pronunciation.
Radical: 廾 + 4 more strokes
弄 Pronunciation and Pinyin
- nòng
- lòng
Meanings of 弄 in Chinese
1
nòng弄
To play with, to fiddle with, to toy with; to handle playfully.
他喜欢摆弄这些老旧的收音机。
He likes to fiddle with these old radios.
To do, to make, to handle, or to get something clear/understood.
我得把这个问题弄明白再告诉你。
I need to clarify this problem before telling you.
To manage to get or obtain something, often with some effort or ingenuity.
你能不能帮我弄一张票?
Can you help me get a ticket?
To make or cause (something, often negative); to bring about a state of disturbance or difficulty.
他的抱怨把气氛弄得很僵。
His complaints made the atmosphere very tense.
To display, show off, or flaunt in a playful, frivolous, or attention-seeking manner.
她总是喜欢在聚会上弄些小花样，希望能吸引大家的目光
She always likes to show off with little gimmicks at parties, hoping to attract everyone's attention.
To use improperly or unfairly; to manipulate; to play tricks on.
为了达到目的，他竟然不惜弄手段。
To achieve his goal, he didn't hesitate to resort to improper means.
To play a musical instrument, or a section/variation of a musical piece.
她喜欢在月光下弄琴。
She enjoys playing the zither under the moonlight.
In ancient performance arts, to play a role or perform a show.
古代戏班在村里弄了一出精彩的杂耍表演
Ancient opera troupes performed a wonderful acrobatic show in the village.
2
lòng弄
In some Chinese dialects, it refers to a narrow alley or lane, often found in older urban areas. Examples include 'lòngtáng' (alleyway) and 'lǐlòng' (residential lane).
他家就在那条深弄里面的底部。
His house is at the very end of that deep alley.
Common Words and Phrases with 弄
1
unable to understand or comprehend; to be baffled by something
我弄不懂为什么他总是迟到，即使他住得离公司很近。
I can't understand why he is always late, even though he lives very close to the company.
2
unclear; not clear; woolly
他弄不清该走哪条路回家，因为所有的街道看起来都差不多。
He couldn't figure out which road to take home, as all the streets looked similar.
3
To play or frolic in the waves/tide; to take part in a boat or swimming race on the tide.
沙滩上，孩子们兴奋地在海边弄潮，笑声此起彼伏。
On the beach, children excitedly play in the waves by the sea, with their laughter rising and falling.
4
A court favorite or a monarch's intimate minister, often one who amuses or entertains.
在老国王的晚年，他身边不再有诸多诤臣，只剩下一位深谙奉承之道的弄臣。
In the old king's later years, he was no longer surrounded by many critical ministers, but only by a favored courtier who was skilled in the art of flattery.
5
To make a mistake, to misunderstand, or to get something wrong.
我可能弄错了时间，会议不是今天下午。
I might have gotten the time wrong; the meeting isn't this afternoon.
6
to play tricks; to scheme
我总觉得他在背后弄鬼，让事情变得更复杂。
I always feel like he's secretly playing tricks behind the scenes, making things more complicated.
7
To play false; to deceive by using something fake as real or mixing fake elements with real ones.
为了逃避责任，他甚至弄假证据，试图把责任推给别人
To shirk responsibility, he even fabricated false evidence, attempting to shift the blame onto others.
8
What was initially make-believe has turned into reality.
小明原本只是为了逃避家务，假装自己生病，没想到躺在床上真的就感冒了，真是弄假成真。
Xiao Ming was originally just pretending to be sick to avoid chores, but unexpectedly, after lying in bed, he really caught a cold. It truly turned from fake to real.
9
To try to be clever but only make things worse or cause a blunder.
小明本想在考试中投机取巧，结果被老师发现，成绩反而更差了，真是弄巧成拙。
Xiao Ming originally tried to cheat in the exam, but he was caught by the teacher, and his grade ended up being even worse. He truly outsmarted himself.
10
to manipulate power for personal ends
这位部门经理喜欢在公司内部弄权，导致许多项目进展不顺。
This department manager likes to manipulate power within the company, which leads to many projects not progressing smoothly.
11
Alleyway; lane
她住在一条老弄堂里，每天都能听到邻里间的说笑声。
She lives in an old nongtang, and every day she can hear the laughter and chatter of her neighbors.
12
An archaic term for the birth of a daughter, referring to the spindle (瓦) traditionally given to girls.
听到老友弄瓦之喜，他特意准备了礼物前去祝贺。
Upon hearing the happy news of his old friend welcoming a daughter, he specially prepared a gift to go and congratulate them.
13
To practice fraud or resort to deception; to employ trickery.
这家公司因为在产品质量检测报告中弄虚作假，受到了严厉的处罚。
This company received severe punishment for falsifying the product quality inspection report.
14
to give birth to a son
恭喜李家喜得弄璋之喜，想必全家人都沉浸在幸福之中。
Congratulations to the Li family on the happy occasion of welcoming a baby boy; the entire family must be immersed in joy.
More words with 弄
- bō拨nòng弄to pluck, to fiddle with
- bǎi摆nòng弄fiddle with, play with
- cháo嘲nòng弄To mock or ridicule someone.
- cuān撺nong弄instigate, incite
- cuō撮nòng弄instigate, incite
- dòu逗nong弄to tease or playfully annoy someone
- lǐ里lòng弄lane, alley
- xì戏nòng弄To tease or make fun of someone.
- xiā瞎nòng弄mess around, fiddle with
- yú愚nòng弄fool, trick
- zhuō捉nòng弄Tease, Play a trick on
- bān搬nòng弄stir up trouble, sow discord
- bō播nòng弄To manipulate or stir up trouble.
- wǔ舞nòng弄To brandish; to make fun of.
- bǒ簸nòng弄stir up, instigate
- cuō搓nòng弄rub, fiddle with
- dǎo捣nòng弄tinker, fiddle with
- huò和nòng弄mediate, reconcile
- niē捏nòng弄knead, mold
- suō唆nòng弄incite, instigate
Idioms with 弄
- nòng弄fǔ斧bān班mén门show off before an expert
- nòng弄shén神nòng弄guǐ鬼play tricks or act mysteriously
- nòng弄wén文qīng轻wǔ武prioritize intellect over martial arts
- nòng弄zhāng璋zhī之xǐ喜Congratulations on the birth of a son
- bān班mén门nòng弄fǔ斧show off before an expert
- bān搬chún唇nòng弄shé舌spread rumors and gossip to sow discord
- bān搬kǒu口nòng弄chún唇gossip and sow discord
- bān搬nòng弄shì是fēi非sow discord with rumors
- bào抱zǐ子nòng弄sūn孙enjoying old age with children and grandchildren
- bǔ捕fēng风nòng弄yuè月chase shadows, fabricate out of thin air
- chuán传bēi杯nòng弄zhǎn盏drink together at a banquet
- diāo刁fēng风nòng弄yuè月engage in a clandestine romantic affair
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Open the tool →Questions about 弄
What does 弄 mean in Chinese?
弄 (nòng) means “To do” in Chinese.
How do you pronounce 弄?
弄 has 2 pronunciations: nòng, lòng.
How many strokes does 弄 have?
弄 has 7 strokes.
How do you write 弄?
弄 is written in 7 strokes, starting from the radical 廾. See the animated stroke order on this page.
What is the radical of 弄?
The radical of 弄 is 廾, and 弄 is an ideographic compound.