曏 (xiǎng) - Toward, facing & formerly, in the past

曏Tone 3

xiǎng ｜ 15 strokes ｜ radical:

想信

曏 · xiǎng

Toward, facing;

formerly, in the past;

direction, orientation;

previously.

Toward, facingformerly, in the pastdirection, orientation

Usage highlights

toward the southin the pastface the sundirection arrowformerly livedorientation point

Synonyms

  • 向— toward, direction (modern simplified equivalent)
  • 往— toward, to go to
  • 对— toward, facing

Antonyms

  • 背— back, turn away from
  • 离— leave, depart from

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • The window faces south (窗户曏南).
  • He used to live here (他曏来住在这里).
  • They walked toward the mountain (他们曏山走去).
  • This was previously a forest (这里曏来是森林).

Collocations

  • toward the south(曏南)
  • in the past(曏来)
  • face the sun(曏阳)
  • direction arrow(曏导)
  • formerly lived(曏居)
  • orientation point(曏点)

Idioms

  • Know which way the wind blows(识时达曏)
  • Follow the crowd(趋时附曏)
  • Turn toward the light(向明而治)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • Used in classical Chinese texts to indicate direction or temporal sequence.
  • Appears in historical documents and philosophical works discussing orientation and past events.
  • The character combines sun (日) and direction/orientation elements, suggesting facing the light.

FAQ