趁 (chèn) is a Chinese character meaning “to take advantage of (a time or opportunity)”. It is written from 走 (to walk; to go) and 㐱 (rare element written 人 over 彡; used as the sound part zhěn in 诊 / 珍 / 疹), one enclosing the other, and takes 12 strokes.
Build the character for “to take advantage of; while”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
走 + 㐱
Enclosing structure
- 走 to walk; to go · zǒu meaning
- 㐱 rare element written 人 over 彡; used as the sound part zhěn in 诊 / 珍 / 疹 · zhěn sound
Structure from: IDS 拆分 ⿺走㐱，并以 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：趁 共 12 笔，笔画 0–6 为「走」，7–11 为「㐱」；《说文解字》：趁，从走㐱声
Memory aid
A person (㐱) with hair streaming behind, walking (走) fast to catch the moment while it lasts. Both parts really are in this character — 走 runs underneath and carries 㐱 along: 趁, to seize the chance.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
12 strokes
In real words
- 趁机chèn jīto seize the chance; to take the opportunity趁 = chèn
- 趁早chèn zǎoas early as possible; before it is too late趁 = chèn
Go deeper
All readings
to take advantage of; while
to take advantage of (a time or opportunity); while (it is still ...)
利用（时间、机会）；趁着。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 趁机chèn jīto seize the chance; to take the opportunity趁 = chèn
- 趁早chèn zǎoas early as possible; before it is too late趁 = chèn
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 趁 mean?
趁 (chèn) means to take advantage of (a time or opportunity); while (it is still ...).
How do you pronounce 趁?
It is pronounced chèn.
What parts is 趁 made of?
走 (to walk; to go) and 㐱 (rare element written 人 over 彡; used as the sound part zhěn in 诊 / 珍 / 疹), one enclosing the other. The recorded source is: IDS 拆分 ⿺走㐱，并以 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：趁 共 12 笔，笔画 0–6 为「走」，7–11 为「㐱」；《说文解字》：趁，从走㐱声. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 趁 have?
12. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 趁?
走. 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 趁?
Common ones are 趁机 and 趁早. The reading of 趁 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.