Editing Written Chinese (section)

=== Strokes ===
{{Main|Chinese character strokes}}
Character components can be further subdivided into individual written strokes. The strokes of Chinese characters fall into eight main categories: "horizontal" {{angbr|{{hani|一}}}}, "vertical" {{angbr|{{hani|丨}}}}, "left-falling" {{angbr|{{hani|丿}}}}, "right-falling" {{angbr|{{hani|丶}}}}, "rising", "dot" {{angbr|{{hani|、}}}}, "hook" {{angbr|{{hani|亅}}}}, and "turning" {{angbr|{{hani|乛}}}}, {{angbr|{{hani|乚}}}}, {{angbr|{{hani|乙}}}}.{{sfnp|Björkstén|1994|pp=31–43}}

There are eight basic rules of stroke order in writing a Chinese character, which apply only generally and are sometimes violated:{{sfnp|Björkstén|1994|pp=46–49}}

# Horizontal strokes are written before vertical ones.
# Left-falling strokes are written before right-falling ones.
# Characters are written from top to bottom.
# Characters are written from left to right.
# If a character is framed from above, the frame is written first.
# If a character is framed from below, the frame is written last.
# Frames are closed last.
# In a symmetrical character, the middle is drawn first, then the sides.