测 cè — side; to lean; to survey; to measure; conjecture
老师下周要给我们做一次小测验。Lǎo shī xià zhōu yào gěi wǒ men zuò yí cì xiǎo cè yàn.The teacher will give us a quiz next week.
Common words: 测试 (cè shì)、检测 (jiǎn cè)、预测 (yù cè)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "to lean"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "to lean", including 测 (cè), 偏 (piān), 侧 (cè / zhāi), 倾 (qīng). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "to lean" covers 4 different Chinese characters — 测 (cè), 偏 (piān), 侧 (cè / zhāi), 倾 (qīng) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 4 characters do not share a sound — their readings span cè, piān, zhāi, qīng — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 测 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 测 cèside; to lean; to survey; to measure; conjectureUseful words: 测试, 检测
- 偏 piānone-sided; to lean; to slant; prejudiced; inclined to one sideUseful words: 偏偏, 偏见
- 侧 cè / zhāithe side; to incline towards; to lean; inclined; lateral; sideUseful words: 侧面, 两侧
- 倾 qīngto overturn; to collapse; to lean; to tend; to incline; to pour outUseful words: 倾向, 倾听
Common words for these 4 "to lean" characters
Anchor each of these 4 characters in a word you can picture — start with 测 (cè) — so "to lean" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
测试cè shìto test (machinery etc); to test (a person's skill in a particular area); a test; (computing) beta (version of software)检测jiǎn cèto test; to detect预测yù cèto forecast; to predict偏偏piān piān(indicating that sth turns out just the opposite of what one would wish) unfortunately; as it happened; (indicating that sth is the opposite of what would be normal or reasonable) stubbornly; contrarily偏见piān jiànprejudice; bias偏僻piān pìremote; desolate; far from the city侧面cè miànlateral side; side; aspect; profile两侧liǎng cètwo sides; both sides侧重cè zhòngto place particular emphasis on倾向qīng xiàngtrend; tendency; orientation
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 4 ways to say "to lean".
偏 piān — one-sided; to lean; to slant; prejudiced; inclined to one side
这道题他算偏了，答案不对。Zhè dào tí tā suàn piān le, dá àn bú duì.He miscalculated this problem; the answer is wrong.
Common words: 偏偏 (piān piān)、偏见 (piān jiàn)、偏僻 (piān pì)
侧 cè / zhāi — the side; to incline towards; to lean; inclined; lateral; side
大楼的两侧都种着大树。Dà lóu de liǎng cè dōu zhòng zhe dà shù.Big trees are planted on both sides of the building.
Common words: 侧面 (cè miàn)、两侧 (liǎng cè)、侧重 (cè zhòng)
倾 qīng — to overturn; to collapse; to lean; to tend; to incline; to pour out
那座旧塔已经有些倾斜了。Nà zuò jiù tǎ yǐ jīng yǒu xiē qīng xié le.That old tower is already slightly tilted.
Common words: 倾向 (qīng xiàng)、倾听 (qīng tīng)、倾斜 (qīng xié)
All 4 characters
Open 测、偏、侧 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.