楞

léng, lèng

木 + 𬙙

Frequency#3223

Definitions

lèng (verb) to stare blankly; to look distracted

léng (noun) corner; edge; beam

Etymology phono-semantic

tree

Semantic: 木 Phonetic: 罒

About

The character 楞 is structured with the wood radical 木 and the phonetic component 楞, deriving etymologically from the character 棱 which carries the meaning of an edge or corner, thus initially associated with angular or structural features. Over time, its semantic application shifted from describing physical attributes to conveying a sense of stupidity or bewilderment in common usage.

Etymology Hide

Seal Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

他站在那儿发楞。

Tā zhàn zài nàr fā lèng.

He stood there in a daze.

我突然楞住了。

Wǒ tūrán lèng zhù le.

I suddenly froze.

看到结果，他楞了半天。

Kàn dào jiéguǒ, tā lèng le bàntiān.

Seeing the result, he was stunned for a long time.

她楞楞地看着我。

Tā lèng lèng de kàn zhe wǒ.

She looked at me dazedly.

听到这个消息，所有人都楞了。

Tīng dào zhège xiāoxi, suǒyǒu rén dōu lèng le.

Hearing this news, everyone was stunned.

他楞在门口，不知该进该退。

Tā lèng zài ménkǒu, bù zhī gāi jìn gāi tuì.

He froze at the door, not knowing whether to enter or retreat.

虽然他被吓了一跳，但只是楞了一下就恢复了正常。

Suīrán tā bèi xià le yī tiào, dàn zhǐshì lèng le yīxià jiù huīfù le zhèngcháng.

Although he was startled, he only froze for a moment before returning to normal.

在激烈的辩论中，他因一时语塞而楞在原地。

Zài jīliè de biànlùn zhōng, tā yīn yīshí yǔsè ér lèng zài yuándì.

In the heated debate, he was left speechless and froze on the spot.

Related Characters

Component: 木

Component: 𬙙

楞