How to Write 苍 (cāng) — Meaning “Dark green, blue, or grey; old”

Picture a green storage warehouse: the grass radical 艹 is the roof, and 仓 looks like a box. So imagine a 'green storage box' — the color green and the box shape help you recall 苍.

Start with the grass radical (艹) as two horizontal strokes then two short verticals, then write 仓: a top '人' shape, a horizontal line, a hook, and a dot. A common mistake is making the bottom part too wide; keep it narrow and balanced.

苍 has 仓 (storehouse) below, while 兹 has a different bottom (玄-like) and means 'this' or 'now', and 艻 has 力 (power) below and is a rare grass name. Visually, 苍 is taller due to the 仓 component, and its meaning is about color or age.

苍 appears in common words like 苍白 (pale) and 苍老 (aged). It describes colors (greenish-blue, grey) or old age. In culture, 苍天 refers to the vast blue sky or heaven, often in poetic or formal expressions.

Common words containing 苍 include: 苍白 (cāng bái) — Pale; pallid; 苍老 (cāng lǎo) — Old; aged (in appearance or voice); 苍翠 (cāng cuì) — Verdant; lush green.