How to Write 萆 (bì) — Meaning “castor oil plant (used in plant names)”

Imagine a bee (sounds like "bì") flying low over a plant because 卑 means low or humble. The grass radical on top reinforces that this is a low-growing plant, like the castor oil plant or herbs.

Write the grass radical 艹 first with three strokes: horizontal, then vertical, then vertical. The lower part 卑 starts with 白 (a short left-falling stroke, then vertical, horizontal fold, two horizontals) followed by 十 (horizontal then vertical). A common mistake is making the grass radical too wide; keep it narrow to balance the lower component.

萆 has the lower component 卑 (which looks like 白 above a 十), while 兹 has a top of two dots over 丝 (silk) and 苧 has 宁 underneath (a dot above a 丁). Meaning-wise, 萆 is a plant name, 兹 means 'here' or 'grow', and 苧 refers to ramie or a surname.

萆 is not a common character; it appears almost exclusively in traditional Chinese medicine terms like 萆薢 (bì xiè), a medicinal rhizome used for joint pain. You might encounter it in herbal remedy names such as 萆薢汤 (Bixie decoction) in classical medical texts, but not in daily conversation.

Common words containing 萆 include: 萆薢 (bì xiè) — sevenlobed yam rhizome (a medicinal herb); 萆薢粥 (bì xiè zhōu) — Bixie congee; 萆薢汤 (bì xiè tāng) — Bixie decoction (herbal soup).