How to Write 弛 (chí) — Meaning “to relax or loosen”

Imagine a bow (弓) that is strung too tight; you pull the string — but wait, you also (也) need to relax it. So 弛 shows the bow being loosened, helping you recall its meaning of to relax or loosen.

Start with the bow radical 弓 (3 strokes: horizontal hook, horizontal, vertical hook) then write 也 (3 strokes: horizontal hook, vertical hook, short vertical — last stroke curves). Keep the right side 也 slightly taller than the left bow and do not connect the two parts.

弛 (relax) has a bow on the left and 也 on the right, while 引 (pull/draw a bow) has a bow on the left and a vertical line (丨) on the right. 弗 (not) is symmetrical with two vertical lines passing through 弓 — there is no 也 component.

弛 appears in words like 松弛 (sōng chí) meaning relaxed or flabby, and 张弛 (zhāng chí), which describes the interplay of tension and release — for example in music, work, or discipline. It is not very common in daily speech but is important in describing physical or metaphorical loosening.

Common words containing 弛 include: 松弛 (sōng chí) — relaxed; limp; flabby; 废弛 (fèi chí) — Lax; neglected (of laws or discipline); 张弛 (zhāng chí) — Relaxation and tension; to loosen and tighten..