How to Write 筹 (chóu) — Meaning “chip; tally; to plan”

Imagine a bamboo counting stick (⺮) being used to plan preparations for a long and healthy life (寿). This connects the bamboo radical to the idea of planning and tallying, while 寿 reminds you of the sound chóu as in "longevity."

Write the bamboo radical ⺮ first as two short strokes on the left and a tall stroke on the right, then write 寿 beneath. Be careful with 寿: the top part is a horizontal stroke followed by a short vertical, and the bottom has a "寸" component with a dot. A common mistake is making the bamboo radical too wide — keep it narrow so the character stays balanced.

筹 (chóu, plan/tally) has the bottom component 寿, while 笨 (bèn, stupid) has 本 (běn, root) and 第 (dì, ordinal) has 弟 (dì, younger brother). Visually, 寿 has a "士"-like top and a "寸" below, whereas 本 is 木 with a horizontal line, and 弟 has a distinct "弓" shape. Meaning-wise, 筹 is about planning, 笨 is about being dull, and 第 is about order or rank.

筹 appears in formal or business contexts like 筹备 (to prepare an event) and 筹款 (to raise funds). It is commonly used for charity fundraising campaigns and project planning. Culturally, 筹 reflects the Chinese value of careful preparation and resource management.

Common words containing 筹 include: 筹备 (chóu bèi) — to prepare; to make arrangements; 筹款 (chóu kuǎn) — to raise funds; fundraising; 筹划 (chóu huà) — to plan; to map out.