How to Write 摽 (biāo) — Meaning “to bind or compete”

Imagine your hand (扌) holding two tickets (票) for a race, and you are competing with a friend to see who runs faster. This picture of binding the tickets together while competing helps link the character to both 'to bind' and 'to compete'. The similar sound of 票 also reminds you of the pinyin biāo.

The left part 扌 should be thin and tall, while the right part 票 is wider and takes up more space. A common mistake is writing the top of 票 incorrectly; remember it starts like 覀 (a variant of 西) and then has 示 below, with the small horizontal stroke at the bottom of 示 making the character balanced.

摽 uses the right component 票, while 掾 uses 彖 and 揄 uses 俞. Their meanings are completely different: 掾 refers to a historical government official, and 揄 means to pull or carry something. Visually, 摽 has a 'ticket' shape on the right, while the others have distinct tops and bottoms.

摽 is common in northern Chinese dialects, especially in words like 摽劲儿 (to compete in strength or effort) and 摽在一起 (to stick together physically). You might hear it in sports, games, or everyday talk about two people locking arms or challenging each other. It is not used in formal writing or HSK vocabulary.

Common words containing 摽 include: 摽劲儿 (biāo jìn er) — to pit one's strength against; 摽在一起 (biāo zài yì qǐ) — to stick together; 摽着 (biāo zhe) — competing with.