述 (shù) is a Chinese character meaning “to narrate”. It is written from 辶 (walk; go — the "movement" radical (chuò)) and 术 (skill; art; technique), one enclosing the other, and takes 8 strokes.
Build the character for “to narrate; to relate”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
辶 + 术
Enclosing structure
Structure from: IDS 拆分 ⿺辶术，并以 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：笔画 0–4 为「术」（横、竖钩、撇、点、点），笔画 5–7 为「辶」（点、横折折撇、平捺）；术 shù 与 述 shù 读音一致，判为声符
Memory aid
Both parts are really in this character: 术 (skill) sits on the road radical 辶. Take your skill out onto the road and walk someone through it step by step — 述 means to narrate, to relate.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
8 strokes
In real words
- 讲述jiǎng shùto tell; to narrate; to give an account of述 = shù
- 描述miáo shùto describe; to depict述 = shù
- 叙述xù shùto narrate; to recount述 = shù
- 阐述chǎn shùto expound; to elaborate on述 = shù
Go deeper
All readings
to narrate
to narrate; to relate; to state; to recount
讲说；把事情有条理地说出来。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 讲述jiǎng shùto tell; to narrate; to give an account of述 = shù
- 描述miáo shùto describe; to depict述 = shù
- 叙述xù shùto narrate; to recount述 = shù
- 阐述chǎn shùto expound; to elaborate on述 = shù
Sound component
术 family exact
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 述 mean?
述 (shù) means to narrate; to relate; to state; to recount.
How do you pronounce 述?
It is pronounced shù.
What parts is 述 made of?
辶 (walk; go — the "movement" radical (chuò)) and 术 (skill; art; technique), one enclosing the other. The recorded source is: IDS 拆分 ⿺辶术，并以 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：笔画 0–4 为「术」（横、竖钩、撇、点、点），笔画 5–7 为「辶」（点、横折折撇、平捺）；术 shù 与 述 shù 读音一致，判为声符. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 述 have?
8. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 述?
辶. 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 述?
Common ones are 讲述 and 描述. The reading of 述 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.