拯 (zhěng) is a Chinese character meaning “to rescue”. It is written from 扌 (hand (radical form)) and 丞 (to aid; assistant (historically an official's title)), side by side, and takes 9 strokes.
Build the character for “to rescue”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
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Structure
扌 + 丞
Left–right structure
- 扌 hand (radical form) · shǒu meaning
- 丞 to aid; assistant (historically an official's title) · chéng sound
Structure from: 现代字形拆分（IDS ⿰扌丞；以 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：笔画 0–2 为「扌」，笔画 3–8 与「丞」逐笔对应，3+6=9 画）
Memory aid
A hand (扌) reaching for 丞 — the part that means "to aid". A hand that aids is a hand that pulls someone out: 拯.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
9 strokes
In real words
- 拯救zhěng jiùto rescue; to save拯 = zhěng
Go deeper
All readings
to rescue
to rescue; to save someone from danger or hardship
帮助人脱离危险或苦难；救。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 拯救zhěng jiùto rescue; to save拯 = zhěng
Sound component
丞 family onset shift
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 拯 mean?
拯 (zhěng) means to rescue; to save someone from danger or hardship.
How do you pronounce 拯?
It is pronounced zhěng.
What parts is 拯 made of?
扌 (hand (radical form)) and 丞 (to aid; assistant (historically an official's title)), side by side. The recorded source is: 现代字形拆分（IDS ⿰扌丞；以 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：笔画 0–2 为「扌」，笔画 3–8 与「丞」逐笔对应，3+6=9 画）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 拯 have?
9. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 拯?
扌. The radical is how the character is filed in a dictionary — it is not the whole story of how the character is built.
What words use 拯?
Common ones are 拯救. The reading of 拯 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.