How to Write 埄 (běng) — Meaning “dust”

Picture someone holding out both hands (as in 奉) to offer a handful of dirt (土), and as they open their palms, the dust flies up with a 'beng!' sound. The visual of offering dust links the components, and the sound 'beng' matches the pinyin, making it easy to recall.

Write the left radical 土 (3 strokes) first, then the right part 奉 (8 strokes). Pay attention to the top of 奉: it starts with three horizontal strokes, then a downward diagonal, and ends with two hands at the bottom—do not confuse it with 奏 or 秦. Keep the left side narrow and the right side slightly wider to maintain balance.

埄 specifically means 'dust' or 'dusty', while 坡 (pō) means 'slope' (a raised area of earth) and 坤 (kūn) refers to 'earth' or 'female principle' in a cosmic sense. Visually, 埄 has 奉 on the right, 坡 has 皮 (skin/hide), and 坤 has 申 (extend). All share the 土 radical but differ in pronunciation and meaning.

埄 is extremely rare in modern Chinese and not part of the HSK vocabulary. It mainly appears in classical texts or poetry to describe blowing dust, as in the word 埄尘 (běng chén, 'dust'). You might encounter it in ancient descriptions of windy, dusty roads, but it is almost never used in daily conversation or writing.

Common words containing 埄 include: 埄尘 (běng chén) — dust; 埄堗 (běng tū) — rising dust; 埄埄 (běng běng) — dusty.