How to Write 絘 (cì) — Meaning “coarse cloth”

Think of 糸 (silk) combined with 次 (second-rate) to imagine 'second-rate silk' that is rough and coarse. You can picture a piece of fabric that is labeled 'Grade B' because it is not smooth like normal silk.

Write the left side 糸 first (6 strokes: 纟 in traditional form), then the right side 次 (also 6 strokes: 冫 then 欠). A common mistake is confusing the right component 次 with 文 (as in 紊) — make sure the top is 冫 (two dots) and not a single horizontal stroke.

絘 (cì) has the right component 次 (order/second), meaning coarse cloth. 紊 (wěn) has 文 (writing/pattern) and means 'disordered' or 'chaotic.' 素 (sù) has a top part resembling 生 (raw) and means 'plain' or 'white silk,' not coarse.

絘 is very rare in modern Chinese and mainly appears in historical or textile-related texts describing coarse cloth. Today, people normally use the word 粗布 (cū bù) instead of 絘布, so you will encounter 絘 mostly in classical literature or specialized discussions about ancient fabrics.

Common words containing 絘 include: 絘布 (cì bù) — coarse cloth; 絘𫄨 (cì chī) — linen cloth; 絘葛 (cì gé) — coarse grass-cloth.