How to Write 殂 (cú) — Meaning “to die (literary)”

Imagine a person (歹) lying down, and the right part 且 looks like a small tombstone with a flat top. The shape reminds you of a peaceful resting place, helping you remember that 殂 means 'to pass away' in a literary sense.

The left radical 歹 should be narrow, with its dot placed carefully after the left-falling stroke. The right part 且 has three horizontal strokes; the middle one is slightly shorter, and the bottom one is the longest. A common mistake is making the 歹 too wide or misaligning the dot.

殂 (cú) is a literary word for natural death, often used for honorable figures. 歼 (jiān) means 'to annihilate' or 'kill in battle' and has 千 on the right. 殁 (mò) is a neutral literary term for 'died,' with 殳 on the right. Visually, 殂 has 且, 歼 has 千, and 殁 has 殳.

殂 is rarely used in everyday speech; it appears only in formal literary or historical texts, such as describing the death of an emperor (崩殂). Modern Chinese speakers prefer common words like 死 (sǐ) or 去世 (qùshì). Learning 殂 helps you understand classical Chinese and historical documents.

Common words containing 殂 include: 殂落 (cú luò) — to pass away (literary); 殂谢 (cú xiè) — to pass away (literary); 崩殂 (bēng cú) — To pass away (of a monarch).