How to Write 箅 (bì) — Meaning “grate / steamer tray”

Picture a bamboo steamer tray (箅) with two bamboo strips on top (竹) and a grid pattern below (畀). Think of it as a "bamboo grid" that holds food while steam passes through.

Start with the bamboo radical 竹, making sure both halves are even. Then write 畀 below: first the 田 (field) part, then the bottom 廾, which is two parallel strokes. Keep the whole character balanced vertically, with the bamboo top slightly narrower than the lower part.

筀 (guì) is a rare character for a type of bamboo, while 筅 (xiǎn) means a brush or broom. 箅 specifically refers to a steamer tray or grate, and its bottom part is 畀, whereas 筅 uses 先 and 筀 uses 圭.

You use 箅 in cooking contexts, especially for bamboo steamer trays (箅子) in dishes like dumplings or buns. It appears in kitchenware descriptions and recipes, and is culturally tied to traditional Chinese dim sum steamers.

Common words containing 箅 include: 箅子 (bì zi) — steamer tray / grate; 蒸箅 (zhēng bì) — Steamer grate; 箅网 (bì wǎng) — grate mesh / screen.