橫 (héng) - Horizontal & across

橫Tone 2

héng ｜ 16 strokes ｜ radical:

枫惠

橫 · héng

Horizontal;

across;

lateral;

to cross;

to traverse;

perverse;

unreasonable;

violent;

also used in some names.

Horizontalacrosslateral

Usage highlights

Horizontal lineCross the roadHorizontal and verticalHorizontal strokeObstructionArrogant

Synonyms

  • 平— level, flat
  • 阔— wide, broad

Antonyms

  • 竖— vertical, upright
  • 纵— vertical, longitudinal
  • 直— straight, vertical

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • The road runs horizontally (横着).
  • Crossing the street (横穿马路).
  • He spoke harshly (横加指责).
  • The beam is placed horizontally (横梁).

Collocations

  • Horizontal line(横线)
  • Cross the road(横穿马路)
  • Horizontal and vertical(纵横)
  • Horizontal stroke(横笔)
  • Obstruction(横亘)
  • Arrogant(横蛮)

Idioms

  • To act against reason(横行霸道)
  • Full of calamities(横生枝节)
  • Sudden misfortune(横祸飞灾)
  • To die an untimely death(横死)
  • To run amuck(横冲直撞)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • In calligraphy, the horizontal stroke (横) is one of the basic strokes and represents stability and balance.
  • The character can carry negative connotations when used to describe unreasonable or violent behavior.
  • In traditional Chinese architecture, horizontal beams (横梁) are crucial structural elements.
  • The concept of 'horizontal' often contrasts with 'vertical' (纵) in both physical and metaphorical contexts.

FAQ