阵 (zhèn): disposition of troops, wave, spate
阵 (zhèn) is a Chinese character meaning “disposition of troops.” Classified as HSK Level 5 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 阝 (structural) and 车 (structural). It ranks #788 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 阵 a formation 阝of soldiers 车. Its radical form 阝 (mound) appears in many related characters such as 那 (nà, (specifier) that), 都 (dōu, all), 院 (yuàn, courtyard).
Definitions
- disposition of troops
- wave
- spate
Etymology & Origin
ideographicA formation 阝of soldiers 车
Decomposition: ⿰阝车 (layout: left-right)
Stroke Order
Practice writing 阵 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
HSK Vocabulary with 阵
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 一阵子noun | yī zhèn zi | a while |
| 阵营noun | zhèn yíng | group of people |
| 阵地noun | zhèn dì | (military) position |
| 阵子noun | zhèn zi | period of time |
| 阵亡verb | zhèn wáng | to die in battle |
| 上阵verb | shàng zhèn | to go into battle |
| 对阵verb | duì zhèn | (of armies) to face each other, ready for battle |
| 阵线noun | zhèn xiàn | a front (militant group) |
| 阵容noun | zhèn róng | troop arrangement |
| 矩阵noun | jǔ zhèn | (math.) matrix |
| 打头阵verb | dǎ tóu zhèn | to take the lead |
| 阵痛noun | zhèn tòng | labor pains |
| 阵风 | zhèn fēng | gust |
| 助阵verb | zhù zhèn | to cheer |
| 阵列noun | zhèn liè | array |
阵 appears in 64 compound words: 23 as the first character, 45 as the last, and 31 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 阵 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (6)
Showing 5 of 6 idioms containing 阵.
Example Sentences
阵字由6笔画组成,结构很巧妙。
zhèn zì yóu bǐ huà zǔ chéng , jié gòu hěn qiǎo miào .
The character "阵" consists of six strokes and has a very ingenious structure.
...美部署F-22 谈判前夕美伊加紧“排兵布阵”
. . . měi bù shǔ F 2 2 tán pàn qián xī měi yī jiā jǐn pái bīng bù zhèn
... On the eve of the U.S. deployment of F-22 negotiations, the United States and Iran stepped up their "troop arrangement"
蓝台中市长人选民众各有所好 杨阵营诉求“分工”思维
lán tái zhōng shì cháng rén xuǎn mín zhòng gè yǒu suǒ hǎo yáng zhèn yíng sù qiú fēn gōng sī wéi
The mayoral candidates of Lan Taichung have their own preferences, and the Yang camp appeals for "division of labor" thinking
经典兵学丨“鸳鸯阵”对现代协同作战的启示
jīng diǎn bīng xué 丨 鸳 鸯 zhèn duì xiàn dài xié tóng zuò zhàn de qǐ shì
Classic military science丨The enlightenment of the "Mandarin Duck Formation" to modern coordinated operations
...会论坛》从自卫权到制天权 中日低轨卫星叫阵(蔡炫)
. . . huì lùn tán cóng zì wèi quán dào zhì tiān quán zhōng rì dī guǐ wèi xīng jiào zhèn ( 蔡 xuàn )
... From the right of self-defense to the right to control the sky, China-Japan low-orbit satellites call the formation (Cai Xuan)
青壮阵亡、人口外逃 乌克兰沦“孤儿寡母之国”
qīng zhuàng zhèn wáng , rén kǒu wài táo wū kè lán 沦 gū ér guǎ mǔ zhī guó
Young and strong people died and people fled, and Ukraine became a "country of orphans and widows"
詹姆士遇上了阵雨。
Zhān mǔ shì yù shàng le zhènyǔ.
James was caught in a shower.
我的胃偶尔会阵痛。
Wǒ de wèi ǒu'ěr huì zhèntòng.
I have occasional pains in the stomach.
非方矩阵的逆阵是一个危险的东西。
Fēi fāng jǔzhèn de nì zhèn shì yī gè wēixiǎn de dōngxi.
The inverse of a non-square matrix is a dangerous thing.
我遇上了阵雨被淋得全身湿透。
Wǒ yùshàng le zhèn yǔ bèi lín de quánshēn shītòu.
I was caught in a shower and got drenched to the skin.
Character Family
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 阵 (zhèn) mean in Chinese?
How many strokes does 阵 have?
What is the radical of 阵?
What are the components of 阵?
What are common words containing 阵?
What characters sound the same as 阵 (zhèn)?
Is 阵 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
Practice writing 阵 with real-time feedback
Trace stroke sequences, hear spoken pronunciation, and build lasting retention with spaced repetition in the HanziFeed app.