How to Write 茌 (chí) — Meaning “Chi (place name)”

Imagine a grass-covered hill (艹) where an official (仕) named Chi lives. The visual of an official standing on grassy land links to the place name Chiping. This combines the components into a memorable scene.

Write the top grass radical (艹) first as two horizontal strokes with a short vertical line. Then write 仕: first the left person radical 亻, then the right 士 (shi) with top horizontal shorter than bottom. A common mistake is making the 艹 too wide or forgetting the short vertical.

茌 (chí) has grass on top and 仕 below, used only for place names like 茌平. 兹 (zī) has 丷 on top and 丝 below, meaning 'now' or 'this'. 艻 (lè) has grass on top and 力 below, referring to a type of plant. Each has a different bottom component and distinct usage.

茌 is almost exclusively used in place names, most notably 茌平 (Chiping), a county in Shandong Province. It is not common in everyday vocabulary. Culturally, 茌平 is known for its historical sites and as the hometown of the famous philosopher Xunzi in some accounts.

Common words containing 茌 include: 茌平 (chí píng) — Chiping (a place in Shandong); 茌山 (chí shān) — Chi Mountain; 茌县 (chí xiàn) — Chi County.