胁 (xié) is a Chinese character meaning “the flank”. It is written from 月 (moon; month) and 办 (to handle; to manage), side by side, and takes 8 strokes.
Build the character for “flank; to coerce”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
月 + 办
Left–right structure
Structure from: 现代字形拆分（IDS ⿰月办，已对照 hanzi-writer-data 8 笔核验：月 4 笔 + 办 4 笔，第 5–8 笔与「办」逐笔一致）；左侧「月」为肉月旁，依据《说文解字》「脅，兩膀也。从肉劦聲」
Memory aid
月 on the left is the flesh radical — this is a part of the body, the ribs and the flank under your arm. On the right is 办 (bàn, "to handle"): squeeze someone's ribs hard enough and they will handle whatever you ask. Both parts are really in this character. 办 here is only the simplified stand-in for the old right-hand part, not a sound clue.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
8 strokes
In real words
- 威胁wēi xiéto threaten; a threat胁 = xié
- 胁迫xié pòto coerce; to force someone by threats胁 = xié
Go deeper
All readings
flank; to coerce
the flank; the ribs under the arm; to coerce or threaten someone into doing something
腋下到肋骨尽处的部分；也指用威力恐吓、强迫别人。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 威胁wēi xiéto threaten; a threat胁 = xié
- 胁迫xié pòto coerce; to force someone by threats胁 = xié
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 胁 mean?
胁 (xié) means the flank; the ribs under the arm; to coerce or threaten someone into doing something.
How do you pronounce 胁?
It is pronounced xié.
What parts is 胁 made of?
月 (moon; month) and 办 (to handle; to manage), side by side. The recorded source is: 现代字形拆分（IDS ⿰月办，已对照 hanzi-writer-data 8 笔核验：月 4 笔 + 办 4 笔，第 5–8 笔与「办」逐笔一致）；左侧「月」为肉月旁，依据《说文解字》「脅，兩膀也。从肉劦聲」. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 胁 have?
8. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 胁?
月. 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 胁?
Common ones are 威胁 and 胁迫. The reading of 胁 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.