How to Write 垂 (chuí) — Meaning “to hang down; to droop; to hand down”

Imagine a heavy flower (the top part) that droops down from a branch and touches the earth (土) below. The top strokes look like petals hanging down, and the bottom 土 reminds you of the ground it reaches.

Pay attention to the stroke order: start with a left-falling stroke (丿), then write three horizontal lines alternating with vertical strokes, ending with the bottom horizontal of 土. A common mistake is making the top part too wide or forgetting the left-falling stroke at the very beginning.

Unlike 在 (zài, meaning "at") which has a simple right side (才) and a single vertical line, 垂 has multiple vertical strokes in its upper part. Compared to 圩 (wéi/xū, a unit of measure or market), 垂 is more complex with a drooping top shape, while 圩 has only one vertical line and a horizontal top on the 土 radical.

垂 appears in formal or technical words like 垂直 (vertical) in geometry and 垂钓 (to go fishing) in literature. It is also part of the common idiom 垂头丧气 (dejected), which describes someone with their head hanging down in low spirits.

Common words containing 垂 include: 垂直 (chuí zhí) — vertical; perpendicular; 垂钓 (chuí diào) — to go fishing; 垂头丧气 (chuí tóu sàng qì) — dejected; crestfallen; in low spirits.