枕 (zhěn): (bound form) pillow, to rest one's head on (Taiwan pr.)
枕 (zhěn) is a Chinese character meaning “(bound form) pillow.” Classified as HSK Level 6 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 木 (semantic) and 冘 (phonetic). It ranks #2495 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 枕 wood. Its radical form 木 (tree) appears in many related characters such as 本 (běn, (bound form) root), 机 (jī, machine, opportunity), 条 (tiáo, strip).
Definitions
- (bound form) pillow
- to rest one's head on (Taiwan pr.)
Etymology & Origin
Stroke Order
Practice writing 枕 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
HSK Vocabulary with 枕
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 高枕无忧 | gāo zhěn wú yōu | to sleep peacefully (idiom) |
| 同床共枕 | tóng chuáng gòng zhěn | to share the bed |
| 枕骨 | zhěn gǔ | occipital bone (back of the skull) |
| 枕套 | zhěn tào | pillowcase |
| 落枕 | lào zhěn | to have a stiff neck after sleeping |
| 枕席 | zhěn xí | mat used to cover a pillow |
| 枕边风 | zhěn biān fēng | pillow talk |
| 枕巾 | zhěn jīn | pillow cloth |
| 枕木 | zhěn mù | railroad tie |
| 枕头大战 | zhěn tou dà zhàn | pillow fight |
| 枕边故事 | zhěn biān gù shi | bedtime story |
| 枕边人 | zhěn biān rén | the person who shares one's bed |
| 吹枕边风 | chuī zhěn biān fēng | to sway (sb) through pillow talk |
| 枕头套 | zhěn tou tào | pillow case |
| 枕席儿 | zhěn xí r | erhua form of 枕席[zhen3 xi2] |
枕 appears in 44 compound words: 55 as the first character, 23 as the last, and 23 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 枕 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (11)
lit. to sleep on one's armor with a spear as a pillow (idiom); fig. to keep ready for battle at all times
to live a secluded and pure life in harmony with nature (often used to describe the lifestyle of a hermit)
bed of straw and pillow of clay (idiom); the correct etiquette for a filial son during the mourning period
lit. to use one's bent arm as a pillow (idiom); fig. content with simple things
to live a secluded and pure life in harmony with nature (often used to describe the lifestyle of a hermit)
lit. to use one's bent arm as a pillow (idiom); fig. content with simple things
lit. to sleep on one's armor with a spear as a pillow (idiom); fig. to keep ready for battle at all times
Example Sentences
爷爷在门前种了一棵枕苗，现在已经长得很高了。
yé yé zài mén qián zhǒng le yī kē zhěn miáo , xiàn zài yǐ jīng cháng dé hěn gāo le .
Grandpa planted a pillow tree in front of the house, and now it has grown very tall.
不爽4月婴哭闹!新手爸枕头闷压致死 狠塞行李袋弃尸山坡
bù shuǎng 4 yuè yīng kū nào ! xīn shǒu bà zhěn tóu mēn yā zhì sǐ hěn sāi háng lǐ dài qì shī shān pō
亚朵星球深睡枕 Pro3.0,更关注长期使用稳定性的枕...
yà duǒ xīng qiú shēn shuì zhěn P r o 3 . 0 , gēng guān zhù cháng qī shǐ yòng wěn dìng xìng de zhěn . . .
7种鹤类齐聚密云,东方白鹳、白枕鹤数量创近十年新高
7 zhǒng hè lèi qí jù mì yún , dōng fāng bái 鹳 , bái zhěn hè shǔ liàng chuàng jìn shí nián xīn gāo
Seven species of cranes gather in Miyun; numbers of Oriental white storks and white-naped cranes reach a decade-high
专家提醒:床单枕套最好一周洗一次,别让床变成尘螨的温床!
zhuān jiā tí xǐng : chuáng dān zhěn tào zuì hǎo yī zhōu xǐ yī cì , bié ràng chuáng biàn chéng chén 螨 de wēn chuáng !
Experts remind: It is best to wash sheets and pillowcases once a week, don't let the bed become a breeding ground for dust mites!
她把头枕在母亲的肩膀上。
Tā bǎtóu zhěn zài mǔqīn de jiānbǎng shàng.
She rested her head on her mother's shoulder.
给我一个枕头和毛毯好吗？
Gěi wǒ yī gè zhěntou hé máotǎn hǎo ma?
Could I have a pillow and blanket?
问心无愧是一个非常柔软的枕头。
Wènxīnwúkuì shì yī gè fēicháng róuruǎn de zhěntou.
A clear conscience is an extraordinarily soft pillow.
她用两个枕头睡觉。
Tā yòng liǎng gè zhěntou shuìjiào.
She sleeps with two pillows.
他们打了一场枕头战。
Tāmen dǎ le yī chǎng zhěntou zhàn.
They had a pillow fight.
Character Family
Frequently Asked Questions
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What characters sound the same as 枕 (zhěn)?
Is 枕 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
Practice writing 枕 with real-time feedback
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