练 (liàn): to practice
练 (liàn) is a Chinese character meaning “to practice.” Classified as HSK Level 3 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 纟 (semantic) and 柬 (phonetic). It ranks #1004 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 练 thread. Its radical form 纟 (silk) appears in many related characters such as 系 (xì, to connect), 累 (lěi, to accumulate), 绍 (shào, to continue).
Definitions
- to practice
Etymology & Origin
Stroke Order
Practice writing 练 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
HSK Vocabulary with 练
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | HSK |
|---|---|---|---|
| 训练verb | xùn liàn | to train | 5 |
| 教练noun | jiào liàn | to coach | 4 |
| 练习verb/noun | liàn xí | to practice | 3 |
| 排练verb | pái liàn | to rehearse | 6 |
| 熟练adjective | shú liàn | practiced | 5 |
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 老练 | lǎo liàn | seasoned |
| 演练 | yǎn liàn | to drill |
| 磨练 | mó liàn | to temper oneself |
| 训练场 | xùn liàn chǎng | training ground |
| 练习场 | liàn xí chǎng | driving range (golf) |
| 陪练 | péi liàn | training partner |
| 苦练 | kǔ liàn | to train hard |
| 操练 | cāo liàn | drill |
| 干练 | gàn liàn | capable and experienced |
| 练就 | liàn jiù | to master (a skill) |
| 晨练 | chén liàn | morning exercise |
| 教练员 | jiào liàn yuán | sports coach |
| 精练 | jīng liàn | (textiles) to scour |
| 练功 | liàn gōng | to do tai chi |
| 简练 | jiǎn liàn | terse |
练 appears in 54 compound words: 20 as the first character, 67 as the last, and 13 in a middle position. Compound statistics computed from SUBTLEX-CH and HSK 3.0 vocabulary data.
Strongest Collocations
Characters that most frequently co-occur with 练 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Example Sentences
练习是提高技能的唯一途径，需要长期坚持。
Liànxí shì tígāo jìnéng de wéiyī tújìng, xūyào chángqī jiānchí.
Practice is the only way to improve skills; long-term persistence is needed.
沙田早晨│巫伟杰大举练兵
shā tián zǎo chén wū wěi jié dà jǔ liàn bīng
Sha Tin Morning│Wu Weijie conducted large-scale military training
【战况R11】罗廐练马师团体马又赢 全家总动员拉头马!
zhàn kuàng R 1 1 luó 廐 liàn mǎ shī tuán tǐ mǎ yòu yíng quán jiā zǒng dòng yuán lā tóu mǎ !
【Battle R11】Luo Liao trainer group horse wins again, the whole family mobilizes the lead horse!
WBC练习赛张峻玮对韩职投2局 飙速155公里
W B C liàn xí sài zhāng jùn 玮 duì hán zhí tóu 2 jú biāo sù 1 5 5 gōng lǐ
WBC practice match Zhang Junwei pitched 2 innings against South Korea and soared 155 kilometers
王楠出任内蒙古乒乓球队主教练
wáng 楠 chū rèn nèi méng gǔ pīng pāng qiú duì zhǔ jiào liàn
Wang Nan becomes head coach of Inner Mongolia table tennis team
春节不忘训练!侯友宜化身“一日骑警”,体验马术训练....
chūn jié bù wàng xùn liàn ! 侯 yǒu yí huā shēn yī rì qí jǐng , tī yàn mǎ shù xùn liàn . . . .
The Spring Festival does not forget to train! Hou Youyi becomes a "one-day mounted police" and experiences equestrian training....
你什么时候练习弹钢琴？
Nǐ shénmeshíhou liànxí tán gāngqín?
When do you practice the piano?
你可以和我一起练习日语吗？
Nǐ kěyǐ hé wǒ yīqǐ liànxí Rìyǔ ma?
Can you practice Japanese with me?
你今天早上有练弹钢琴吗？
Nǐ jīntiān zǎoshang yǒu liàn tán gāngqín ma?
Did you practice the piano this morning?
这位女士是我的游泳教练吗？
Zhèwèi nǚshì shì wǒ de yóuyǒng jiàoliàn ma?
Is this woman my swim teacher?
Character Family
纟 Radical Family — Characters sharing the silk radical
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 练 (liàn) mean in Chinese?
What's the difference between 练 and 拣?
How many strokes does 练 have?
What is the radical of 练?
What are the components of 练?
What are common words containing 练?
What characters sound the same as 练 (liàn)?
Is 练 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
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