How to Write 瘛 (chì) — Meaning “convulsion; spasm”

Picture the left side 疒 as a sick person lying in bed, and the right side 契 as a sharp blade cutting ties. Imagine that the person is having a convulsion (瘛) because the muscles are being "cut" or jerked uncontrollably. This visual link helps you recall that 瘛 means spasm or convulsion.

Start with the illness radical 疒: write the dot first, then the left-down stroke, followed by the two inner dots. The right side 契 has a top part 丰 (three horizontal strokes) and a bottom part 大; be careful to keep the strokes balanced and not too wide. A common mistake is making the inside too small or mixing up the order of strokes in 契—remember to write the three horizontals before the vertical stroke.

瘛 specifically refers to convulsions or spasms (involuntary muscle contractions), while 痰 means phlegm (a mucus discharge). 痱 refers to prickly heat rash, a skin condition caused by heat. Visually, 瘛 has the complex right side 契, whereas 痰 has 炎 (flame) and 痱 has 非 (wrong/not), so they look very different despite sharing the same illness radical.

瘛 is a rare, specialized character found mainly in medical or classical texts to describe convulsions, especially in traditional Chinese medicine. It appears in the word 瘛疭 (chì zòng), which describes clonic spasms. You won't encounter it in daily conversation, but it's important for understanding ancient medical writings or detailed descriptions of neurological symptoms.

Common words containing 瘛 include: 瘛疭 (chì zòng) — convulsions; clonic spasm; 抽瘛 (chōu chì) — convulsion; spasm; 瘛病 (chì bìng) — convulsive disease.