How to Write 膘 (biāo) — Meaning “fat (of animals); blubber”

Picture a ticket (票) stuck onto a piece of meat (月). The ticket says "FAT" because this meat has a thick layer of fat. This links the meaning of "animal fat" to the character's components.

The left radical 月 must be thin and narrow, written with a vertical stroke then two horizontal strokes and a final left-falling stroke. The right part 票 (9 strokes) starts with a vertical stroke like 目, then 示 below — note the small horizontal strokes in 示 are evenly spaced. A common mistake is making the 月 too wide or forgetting the dot on top of 票.

膘 (biāo) means animal fat, while 朦 (méng) means dim or hazy and shares no meat-related meaning — their only similarity is the 月 radical. 腠 (còu) refers to muscle fibers or the spaces between skin and muscle (used in Chinese medicine), so it is about flesh structure, not fat. Visually, 朦 has 蒙 on the right and 腠 has 奏, both of which look different from 票.

膘 mostly appears in farming, cooking, or seasonal customs. For example, 肥膘 (féi biāo) refers to the pure fat layer on meat, and 贴秋膘 (tiē qiū biāo) is a popular fall tradition in northern China where people eat rich food to gain weight before winter. It is not a common everyday word for learners, but you may see it in markets or seasonal articles.

Common words containing 膘 include: 肥膘 (féi biāo) — fat (on meat or animals); 贴秋膘 (tiē qiū biāo) — Fattening up for autumn (by eating meat); 膘情 (biāo qíng) — condition of livestock fatness.