耍 Stroke Order — How to Write 耍
耍 is written in 9 strokes, following the standard Chinese stroke order. Start from the radical 而, 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.
耍 Radical and Character Components
耍 is an ideographic compound. A woman 女 wearing a beard 而 for disguise.
Radical: 而 + 3 more strokes
耍 Pronunciation and Pinyin
- shuǎ
Meanings of 耍 in Chinese
1
shuǎ耍
to play; to frolic; to joke
小孩子们在公园里玩耍得很开心。
The children are playing happily in the park.
To play tricks; to fool around; to make fun of someone.
别耍花招，说实话。
Don't play tricks, tell the truth.
To wield, perform, or display a skill; to play a trick or maneuver.
她喜欢在朋友面前耍手艺，展示她新学的魔术。
She likes to show off her skills in front of her friends, demonstrating the new magic tricks she learned.
Common Words and Phrases with 耍
1
To juggle or perform tricks.
马戏团的演员们在舞台上耍把戏，引得观众阵阵喝彩。
The circus performers did tricks on stage, drawing cheers from the audience.
2
To engage in writing, often with a derogatory connotation of using literary tricks or being skilled only in writing.
与其在这里耍笔杆子，不如把精力放到实际行动上。
Instead of just writing extensively and theorizing here, it's better to put your energy into practical action.
3
to make trouble; to cause trouble
那个调皮的孩子总喜欢在大人说话的时候耍叉。
That naughty child always likes to make trouble when adults are talking.
4
A place for playing; a playground. Often used in negative contexts to imply a place is not suitable for leisure or games.
这个小镇没什么耍处，孩子们放学后都觉得无聊。
This small town doesn't have much in the way of entertainment, so the children often feel bored after school.
5
to be deliberately difficult or nitpicky; to make trouble for others on purpose
他总是喜欢在大家讨论问题的时候耍刺儿，让会议气氛变得很紧张。
He always likes to be deliberately difficult when everyone is discussing an issue, making the meeting atmosphere very tense.
6
to put on airs, to act like a big shot, to be conceited or arrogant
尽管他刚有点名气，就开始在片场耍大牌，让导演很头疼
Even though he just gained a little fame, he started putting on airs on set, which gave the director a big headache.
7
to wear thin clothes in cold weather, often referring to dressing lightly in winter
外面天气这么冷，你还穿这么少，小心别耍单儿着凉了
It's so cold outside, and you're still wearing so little; be careful not to underdress and catch a cold.
8
To playfully tease or amuse someone, often a child, to make them laugh or talk.
那个小丑喜欢在表演时耍逗观众，引得大家哈哈大笑。
The clown liked to tease the audience during his performance, making everyone laugh out loud.
9
To joke around or make trouble, often mischievously or disruptively.
小明总是喜欢跟妹妹耍骨头，逗得她又哭又笑。
Xiao Ming always likes to tease his younger sister, making her cry and laugh.
10
to act tough and unreasonable; to be rude
那个小男孩因为妈妈不给他买糖果，在商店里耍横，大哭大闹。
The little boy threw a tantrum and acted overbearing in the store because his mom wouldn't buy him candy.
11
To put on a monkey show; (figuratively) to make a fool of someone or oneself, to clown around.
他总喜欢耍猴儿，把别人当傻子一样耍弄。
He always likes to make a fool of others, treating them like simpletons.
12
To play tricks or use deceptive maneuvers; a feint (originally in martial arts).
在会议上，他总是喜欢耍花枪，试图转移大家的注意力。
In meetings, he always likes to play little tricks, trying to divert everyone's attention.
13
To speak deceptively or insincerely, often using flowery language to mislead.
他总是喜欢对女孩子耍花腔，希望能引起她们的注意。
He always likes to sweet-talk girls, hoping to get their attention.
14
To get up to tricks, play deceptive games, or be cunning.
小明总是喜欢在考试前耍花样，希望能蒙混过关。
Xiao Ming always tries to play tricks before exams, hoping to bluff his way through.
15
to act in a slick way; to try to shirk work or responsibility
他总是喜欢在工作中耍滑，把任务推给别人。
He always tries to shirk work, passing his tasks on to others.
More words with 耍
- xī嬉shuǎ耍to romp; to play and frolic
- wán玩shuǎ耍Play, Frolic
- shuǎ耍nòng弄trick, fool
- shuǎ耍huā花zhāo招play tricks, deceive
- shuǎ耍de得skilled at, adept at
- shuǎ耍xīn心jī机scheme, manipulate
- shuǎ耍xiǎo小cōng聪ming明play smart, be cunning
- wán顽shuǎ耍play, frolic
- zài在wán玩shuǎ耍playing, at play
- shuá耍shǒu手yì艺show off skills, display craftsmanship
- wán玩shuǎ耍shí时When playing, During play
- xī嬉xì戏wán玩shuǎ耍Play, Frolic
- zá杂shuǎ耍biáo表yǎn演juggling show, juggling act
- shuǎ耍zá杂jì技perform acrobatics, juggle
- shuǎ耍xiǎo小xīn心si思play little tricks, have ulterior motives
- wán玩shuǎ耍hòu后after playing, after play
- xī熙xiào笑wán玩shuǎ耍playing cheerfully, frolicking joyfully
- xī嬉xiào笑wán玩shuǎ耍Laugh and play, Frolic
- bēn奔pǎo跑wán玩shuǎ耍run and play, frolic
- lún轮fān番wán玩shuǎ耍take turns playing, play in turns
Idioms with 耍
- shuǎ耍liǎng两miàn面pài派play a double game
- shuǎ耍xīn心yǎn眼er儿play mind tricks for personal gain
- shuǎ耍zuǐ嘴pí皮zi子engage in empty talk
- tōu偷lǎn懒shuǎ耍huá滑shirk work and be cunning
- shuǎ耍huá滑tóu头shirk work or responsibility artfully
- shuǎ耍pín贫zuǐ嘴to chatter idly or playfully
- shuǎ耍shǒu手wàn腕use clever tactics to achieve goals
- zuò作shuǎ耍wèi为zhēn真take a joke seriously
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Open the tool →Questions about 耍
What does 耍 mean in Chinese?
耍 (shuǎ) means “to play” in Chinese.
How do you pronounce 耍?
耍 is pronounced shuǎ in Mandarin Chinese.
How many strokes does 耍 have?
耍 has 9 strokes.
How do you write 耍?
耍 is written in 9 strokes, starting from the radical 而. See the animated stroke order on this page.
What is the radical of 耍?
The radical of 耍 is 而, and 耍 is an ideographic compound.
