炼 (liàn) is a Chinese character meaning “to smelt or refine metal with fire”. It is written from 火 (fire) and 东 (east), side by side, and takes 9 strokes.
Build the character for “to smelt; to temper”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
火 + 东
Left–right structure
Structure from: 现代字形拆分，经 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验（火 4 画 + 东 5 画 = 9 画；笔画 0–3 为火字旁）
Memory aid
Keep the fire (火) burning from the east (东) at dawn until the metal runs clean — that long burn is what refining means.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
9 strokes
In real words
- 锻炼duàn liànto exercise; to work out; to temper (oneself)炼 = liànHSK 4
- 炼钢liàn gāngto make steel; steelmaking炼 = liàn
Go deeper
All readings
to smelt; to temper
to smelt or refine metal with fire; by extension, to temper or train something until it is strong and pure
用火烧制、提纯金属；引申为反复磨练，使更纯粹、更结实。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 锻炼duàn liànto exercise; to work out; to temper (oneself)炼 = liànHSK 4
- 炼钢liàn gāngto make steel; steelmaking炼 = liàn
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 炼 mean?
炼 (liàn) means to smelt or refine metal with fire; by extension, to temper or train something until it is strong and pure.
How do you pronounce 炼?
It is pronounced liàn.
What parts is 炼 made of?
火 (fire) and 东 (east), side by side. The recorded source is: 现代字形拆分，经 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验（火 4 画 + 东 5 画 = 9 画；笔画 0–3 为火字旁）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 炼 have?
9. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 炼?
火. 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 炼?
Common ones are 锻炼 and 炼钢. The reading of 炼 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.