How to Write 耻 (chǐ) — Meaning “shame; disgrace; humiliation”

Picture someone who feels deep shame covering their ears with both hands to block out criticism — the left side is the ear (耳) and the right side is the hand motion of stopping (止). This "ear-stop" image directly reminds you that 耻 means shame.

Write the left radical 耳 first (5 strokes), then the right component 止 (4 strokes) — total 9 strokes? Wait, 耻 has 10 strokes: 耳 has 6? Actually 耳 is 6 strokes? No: 耳 radical is 6 strokes (horizontal, vertical, horizontal, vertical, horizontal, horizontal). 止 is 4 strokes. So total 10. Common mistake: make the 耳 too wide, unbalancing the character; keep both sides roughly equal in width, and write the last horizontal stroke of 止 slightly longer for stability.

The key difference is the right side: 耻 has 止 (stop), 耵 has 丁 (nail), and 耶 has 阝 (right ear radical). In meaning, 耻 means shame, while 耵 is a rare character for earwax, and 耶 is a particle used in transliterations or exclamations like "yeah." Visually, focus on the right component to tell them apart.

耻 appears in formal or literary words like 羞耻 (shame), 无耻 (shameless), and 耻辱 (disgrace). In Chinese culture, having a sense of shame (羞耻心) is highly valued as a Confucian virtue, so this character often carries moral weight in discussions of honor and behavior. It is less common in casual speech but frequent in writing about ethics and social conduct.

Common words containing 耻 include: 羞耻 (xiū chǐ) — shame; sense of shame; 无耻 (wú chǐ) — Shameless; 耻辱 (chǐ rǔ) — shame; disgrace.