匈 (xiōng) is a Chinese character meaning “chest”. It is written from 勹 (wrap) and 凶 (inauspicious; fierce), one enclosing the other, and takes 6 strokes.
Build the character for “chest; Xiongnu”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
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Structure
勹 + 凶
Enclosing structure
Structure from: 说文解字·勹部：匈，膺也。从勹凶聲；现代字形 IDS ⿹勹凶 已与 hanzi-writer-data 笔画数据核对（第 1–2 笔属 勹，第 3–6 笔属 凶）
Memory aid
The wrap 勹 folds its arm around 凶, danger. Something fierce held against the chest — and 凶 xiōng also hands you the sound of 匈 xiōng.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
6 strokes
In real words
- 匈奴xiōng núthe Xiongnu, a nomadic people of ancient northern China匈 = xiōng
Go deeper
All readings
chest; Xiongnu
chest; breast (an older writing, now written 胸); also used in proper names such as 匈奴 (the Xiongnu) and 匈牙利 (Hungary)
胸膛（此义今写作「胸」）；今天主要用在「匈奴」「匈牙利」等专名里。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 匈奴xiōng núthe Xiongnu, a nomadic people of ancient northern China匈 = xiōng
Origin
The Shuowen Jiezi analyses 匈 as "from 勹, with 凶 giving the sound", glossing it as 膺 — the breast. 勹 is the wrapping shape that curls around the body; the meaning "chest" is written 胸 today, and 匈 now survives mainly in names such as 匈奴.
Source: 说文解字·勹部：匈，膺也。从勹凶聲
Sound component
凶 family exact
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 匈 mean?
匈 (xiōng) means chest; breast (an older writing, now written 胸); also used in proper names such as 匈奴 (the Xiongnu) and 匈牙利 (Hungary).
How do you pronounce 匈?
It is pronounced xiōng.
What parts is 匈 made of?
勹 (wrap) and 凶 (inauspicious; fierce), one enclosing the other. The recorded source is: 说文解字·勹部：匈，膺也。从勹凶聲；现代字形 IDS ⿹勹凶 已与 hanzi-writer-data 笔画数据核对（第 1–2 笔属 勹，第 3–6 笔属 凶）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 匈 have?
6. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 匈?
勹. 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 匈?
Common ones are 匈奴. The reading of 匈 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.