How to Write 瘪 (biě) — Meaning “shriveled or deflated”

Imagine a balloon that has a sickness (疒) and has gone flat — the right part looks like a deflated balloon with a line at the top. This image helps you remember that 瘪 means shriveled or deflated.

The radical 疒 has a dot on the top left, and the inner part is complex with many strokes — keep them balanced and compact. A common mistake is making the inner part too wide or forgetting the dot in 疒.

痰 (tán) also has radical 疒 but uses 炎 (flame) and means phlegm from a lung illness. 痱 (fèi) uses 非 and means prickly heat rash. 瘪 uses the unique component 㿜 and means something is physically deflated or shriveled, not an illness itself.

You see 瘪 in everyday words like 瘪了 (biě le) for a deflated ball or flat tire, and 干瘪 (gān biě) for dried, shriveled fruit. It can also describe a person's spirits being deflated, like 心里瘪了 (feeling flat).

Common words containing 瘪 include: 瘪了 (biě le) — deflated or went flat; 干瘪 (gān biě) — shrivelled / wizened; 瘪胎 (biě tāi) — flat tire.