How to Write 绌 (chù) — Meaning “Insufficient or short of”

Imagine a piece of silk (纟) that is being pulled out (出) too quickly, and now there is not enough left for the next task. This visual of silk running out helps you recall that 绌 means insufficient or short of something.

The left radical 纟 should be written with three downward strokes, not four, and remain narrow. The right part 出 has two parallel vertical strokes on the top and bottom — a common mistake is making the bottom 山 too wide or misaligning the strokes. Keep the overall character balanced and compact.

While 红 (hóng, red) and 纡 (yū, circuitous) also use the silk radical, 绌 specifically means insufficiency or deficiency. Visually, 红 has 工 (work) on the right, and 纡 has 于 (at), whereas 绌 has 出 (out). Their pronunciations and meanings are unrelated, so focus on the right-side component to distinguish them.

绌 appears mostly in formal or literary expressions, such as 见绌 (to show inadequacy) and 支绌 (short of money or resources). It is not common in everyday speech but is found in written assessments or economic contexts to describe shortcomings or scarcity.

Common words containing 绌 include: 见绌 (jiàn chù) — to appear deficient; to show inadequacy; 支绌 (zhī chù) — short of money; in short supply; 绌劣 (chù liè) — Inferior or of poor quality.