绷 (bēng) is a Chinese character meaning “to stretch tight”. It is written from 纟 (silk; thread (left-side form)) and 朋 (friend), side by side, and takes 11 strokes. It has a second reading, běng, which turns up in 绷脸 — here the two readings are two separate things to learn, not one card with two answers.
Build the character for “to stretch taut”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
纟 + 朋
Left–right structure
Structure from: IDS (cjkvi-ids: ⿰纟朋); 说文解字 繃：束也。从糸崩聲（简化字以朋代崩）
Memory aid
Silk thread (纟) wraps around two friends (朋) standing side by side and pulls tight — they are bound taut together.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
11 strokes
In real words
- 绷带bēng dàibandage绷 = bēng
- 紧绷jǐn bēngtaut; tense绷 = bēng
Go deeper
All readings
to stretch taut
to stretch tight; to bind; to strap
拉紧；张紧；用带子捆扎。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 绷带bēng dàibandage绷 = bēng
- 紧绷jǐn bēngtaut; tense绷 = bēng
to keep a straight face
to keep (one’s face) stiff; to pull a long face
板着（脸）；强忍住。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 绷脸běng liǎnto keep a straight face; to pull a long face绷 = běng
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 绷 mean?
绷 (bēng) means to stretch tight; to bind; to strap.
How do you pronounce 绷?
Its main reading is bēng. It also has a second reading, běng, which only shows up in certain words such as 绷脸 — so the word tells you the reading, not the character on its own.
Why is 绷 sometimes pronounced běng?
Because it is a multi-reading character: each reading carries a different sense, and the word decides which one applies. In 绷脸 it is read běng.
What parts is 绷 made of?
纟 (silk; thread (left-side form)) and 朋 (friend), side by side. The recorded source is: IDS (cjkvi-ids: ⿰纟朋); 说文解字 繃：束也。从糸崩聲（简化字以朋代崩）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 绷 have?
11. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 绷?
纟. 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 绷?
Common ones are 绷带 and 紧绷. The reading of 绷 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.