行 (xíng) means "OK, all right, to walk" with radical 行 (walk), HSK 3 on the new exam.
Pronunciation
Meaning
Primary: OK
Other meanings:
- all right
- to walk
- to go
- That's ok
Etymology
Oracle-bone origin
The oracle-bone form of 行 shows a crossroads: two perpendicular paths meeting, viewed from above. It is one of the clearest pictographic depictions of a road intersection in the early script, and originally meant 'road' or 'crossroads,' not 'to walk.'
Form evolution
The oracle-bone crossroads is symmetrical, with four arms of equal length. In bronze inscriptions the shape is retained but the strokes thicken. Seal script begins to split the form into two vertical halves that look less like a crossroads. Clerical and modern 楷书 flatten it into the familiar left-right structure 彳 + 亍, obscuring the original pictograph entirely.
How the meaning evolved
The original noun sense 'road' generalised into the verb 'to walk, to go along a road,' and from there into abstract senses: 'to do, to act, to practise,' and 'it will work / OK.' The reading xíng covers movement and action, while háng (a row, a business, a profession) preserves the older sense of ordered lines, as of a street grid. Both readings come from the same crossroads image.
Cultural note
The two-reading split still trips up learners: 银行 (yínháng, bank) and 行李 (xínglǐ, luggage) share one character but come from the 'rows' and 'going' branches respectively. In classical Chinese 行 also meant moral conduct, which survives in 品行 and 德行.
Basic info
| Pinyin | xíng |
| Meanings | OK, all right, to walk, to go, That's ok |
| Radical | 行 (#144: walk) |
| New HSK exam | Recognise at HSK 3, write by hand at HSK 3 |
| Frequency | #53 most common |
Example sentences
Words containing 行
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | HSK |
|---|---|---|---|
| 行 | xíng | OK; all right; to walk; to go | HSK 3 |
| 自行车 | zìxíngchē | Bicycle | HSK 3 |
| 行李箱 | xínglixiāng | Trunk | |
| 银行 | yínháng | Bank | HSK 3 |
| 进行 | jìnxíng | in process of | HSK 4 |
| 举行 | jǔxíng | hold | HSK 4 |
| 流行 | liúxíng | Popular | HSK 4 |
| 旅行 | lǚxíng | travel | HSK 4 |
| 行为 | xíngwéi | behavior | HSK 5 |
| 行业 | hángyè | industry | HSK 5 |
| 行动 | xíngdòng | Get some action | HSK 5 |
| 行人 | xíngrén | pedestrian | HSK 5 |
| 并行 | bìngxíng | to proceed in parallel | HSK 7-9 |
| 不行 | bùxíng | won't do, be no good | HSK 3 |
| 步行 | bùxíng | to go on foot, to walk | HSK 5 |
| 发行 | fāxíng | to issue, to publish | HSK 6 |
| 飞行 | fēixíng | to fly | HSK 5 |
| 风行 | fēngxíng | popular, prevalent |
Related characters
On the new HSK 3 exam
Studying for HSK 3? Keep 行 with the rest of your level.
HSK Lord schedules your reviews so each character comes back right before you would forget it. Free to start, and it picks up where you are.
Frequently Asked Questions
Appears in these articles
Reviewed by RJ Murray, Founder, HSK Lord.