衬 (chèn) is a Chinese character meaning “to line (a garment)”. It is written from 衤 (clothing (left-side form)) and 寸 (cun; inch), side by side, and takes 8 strokes.
Build the character for “shirt worn underneath”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
衤 + 寸
Left–right structure
Structure from: studyhanzi 构形核验：现代字形拆分 ⿰衤寸，对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔顺（5+3=8 画）；繁体作「襯」，右侧「親」在简化时改写为「寸」
Memory aid
The clothing radical 衤 on the left, and 寸 (inch) on the right: an inch of extra cloth tucked inside the clothes — the shirt you wear underneath.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
8 strokes
In real words
- 衬衣chèn yīshirt; inner garment衬 = chèn
- 衬衫chèn shānshirt; button-up shirt衬 = chèn
Go deeper
All readings
to line; inner garment
to line (a garment); lining; worn underneath; to set off by contrast
在衣物里面加一层；穿在里面的；也指陪衬、映托。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 衬衣chèn yīshirt; inner garment衬 = chèn
- 衬衫chèn shānshirt; button-up shirt衬 = chèn
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 衬 mean?
衬 (chèn) means to line (a garment); lining; worn underneath; to set off by contrast.
How do you pronounce 衬?
It is pronounced chèn.
What parts is 衬 made of?
衤 (clothing (left-side form)) and 寸 (cun; inch), side by side. The recorded source is: studyhanzi 构形核验：现代字形拆分 ⿰衤寸，对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔顺（5+3=8 画）；繁体作「襯」，右侧「親」在简化时改写为「寸」. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 衬 have?
8. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 衬?
衣. 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 衬?
Common ones are 衬衣. The reading of 衬 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.