展 (zhǎn) is a Chinese character meaning “to open up”. It is written from 尸 (corpse) and 龷 (four-stroke top element: two uprights crossed by a short bar, closed by a long bar below (as in 昔, 共)) and 𧘇 (lower part of 衣 (flowing robe strokes)), one enclosing the other, and takes 10 strokes.
Build the character for “to unfold; to display”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
尸 + 龷 + 𧘇
Enclosing structure
- 尸 corpse · shī unknown
- 龷 four-stroke top element: two uprights crossed by a short bar, closed by a long bar below (as in 昔, 共) unknown
- 𧘇 lower part of 衣 (flowing robe strokes) unknown
Structure from: 现代字形拆分，对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画几何核验：第 1–3 笔为「尸」；第 4–6 笔为「龷」的横与两竖；第 7 笔长横为「龷」底横与「𧘇」起笔共用（同「畏」，按「𧘇」计）；第 8–10 笔为「𧘇」其余笔画
Memory aid
Under the roof-like slab (尸), a crossbar with two uprights (龷) rests on the sweeping hem of a robe (𧘇): the robe is being opened out and spread flat — to unfold, to display.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
10 strokes
In real words
- 发展fā zhǎnto develop; development展 = zhǎn
- 展开zhǎn kāito unfold; to spread out; to launch展 = zhǎn
- 展览zhǎn lǎnexhibition; to put on display展 = zhǎnspoken aszhán lǎn
- 展翅zhǎn chìto spread the wings展 = zhǎn
Go deeper
All readings
to unfold; to display
to open up; to unfold; to spread out; to display; to exhibit; to develop
张开，舒展；陈列出来给人看；发展、推进。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 发展fā zhǎnto develop; development展 = zhǎn
- 展开zhǎn kāito unfold; to spread out; to launch展 = zhǎn
- 展览zhǎn lǎnexhibition; to put on display展 = zhǎnspoken aszhán lǎn
- 展翅zhǎn chìto spread the wings展 = zhǎn
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 展 mean?
展 (zhǎn) means to open up; to unfold; to spread out; to display; to exhibit; to develop.
How do you pronounce 展?
It is pronounced zhǎn.
What parts is 展 made of?
尸 (corpse) and 龷 (four-stroke top element: two uprights crossed by a short bar, closed by a long bar below (as in 昔, 共)) and 𧘇 (lower part of 衣 (flowing robe strokes)), one enclosing the other. The recorded source is: 现代字形拆分，对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画几何核验：第 1–3 笔为「尸」；第 4–6 笔为「龷」的横与两竖；第 7 笔长横为「龷」底横与「𧘇」起笔共用（同「畏」，按「𧘇」计）；第 8–10 笔为「𧘇」其余笔画. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 展 have?
10. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 展?
尸. 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 展?
Common ones are 发展, 展开, 展览, 展翅. The reading of 展 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.