How to Write 笞 (chī) — Meaning “to flog with bamboo”

Imagine a bamboo rod (竹) hitting a flat surface or platform (台) — the sound "chi" from the strike matches the pinyin. This picture of bamboo striking a platform helps you recall the meaning "to flog with bamboo."

Write the bamboo radical 竹 first: two sets of three strokes each (left-falling, horizontal, dot; then repeat). Then write 台: start with the first stroke 撇折, then dot, vertical, horizontal fold, and final horizontal. A common mistake is making the bamboo part too wide or mixing up the order of the lower 台 part.

The main difference is in the lower component: 笞 has 台 (platform), 竽 has 于 (at), and 竿 has 干 (dry). Meaning-wise, 笞 is about flogging (punishment), 竽 is a musical instrument (an ancient mouth organ), and 竿 means a bamboo pole. Visually, watch for the different radicals below the bamboo top.

笞 is not common in everyday speech and is mainly used in historical or legal contexts, such as 鞭笞 (to whip/flog) and 笞刑 (flogging as punishment). In ancient China, flogging with bamboo was a common official punishment, so the character carries a strong historical and judicial connotation.

Common words containing 笞 include: 鞭笞 (biān chī) — to whip; to flog; 笞刑 (chī xíng) — flogging (as a punishment); 笞打 (chī dǎ) — to whip or flog.