How to Write 墀 (chí) — Meaning “porch; palace steps”

Imagine a rhinoceros (犀) standing on a pile of earth (土), forming a grand staircase to a palace. The rhinoceros looks important and heavy, just like the massive stone steps of an ancient palace. This picture helps you link the "rhinoceros" shape to the meaning of "palace steps."

When writing 墀, the left radical 土 should be narrow and slightly smaller, while the right part 犀 takes most of the space. A common mistake is writing the right component as 犀 without the extra stroke in the upper part — be sure to include all 12 strokes of 犀. Also note that the bottom of 犀 has two vertical strokes that should not be merged.

墀 (chí) means palace steps, while 塌 (tā) means to collapse or cave in — they share the 土 radical but have different right sides (犀 vs. 罔). 塍 (chéng) is a raised path between fields, and its right side is 朕, not 犀. Visually, 墀 has a complex right part with a "rhinoceros" shape, whereas 塌 looks more box-like and 塍 has a simpler structure.

墀 is rarely used in everyday conversation; it mainly appears in classical or formal texts describing palace architecture, such as 丹墀 (dān chí, the red steps of a palace). The red color (丹) was symbolic of imperial authority, so 丹墀 often represents the emperor's court or grand ceremonies. You might encounter this character in historical novels, poems, or descriptions of ancient buildings.

Common words containing 墀 include: 丹墀 (dān chí) — red steps of a palace; 阶墀 (jiē chí) — steps and courtyard; 玉墀 (yù chí) — Jade steps (referring to palace steps).