How to Write 镈 (bó) — Meaning “Bo (an ancient musical instrument or hoe)”

Imagine a metal (钅) bell that makes a deep "bo" sound when struck. The right side 尃 looks like a hand (寸) spreading a cloth (甫), so you can think of the bell's sound spreading through the air.

The left radical 钅 has five strokes: write the short left-falling stroke first, then three horizontal lines, and finally the vertical hook. The right side 尃 has ten strokes — make sure the top part 甫 is written with a horizontal stroke at the top, then an enclosure like 口, and a vertical stroke through it before adding 寸 at the bottom.

镈 has the right side 尃 (bó), while 锖 has 青 (qīng) and 锗 has 者 (zhě). Their pronunciations are also different: 镈 is bó, 锖 is qiāng, and 锗 is zhě. In meaning, 镈 refers to an ancient bell or hoe, 锖 means "rust" or "tarnish," and 锗 is the chemical element germanium.

镈 is not used in everyday conversation because it is an ancient term. You will encounter it mainly in historical texts, museum descriptions, or discussions of ancient Chinese ritual instruments, such as "镈钟" (bó zhōng), a type of large bronze bell used in Zhou dynasty music.

Common words containing 镈 include: 镈钟 (bó zhōng) — Bo bell (ancient percussion instrument); 编镈 (biān bó) — bianbo (ancient bronze bells); 镈器 (bó qì) — Bo ritual vessel.