How to Write 醋 (cù) — Meaning “vinegar”

Imagine that 昔 (xī) looks like a stack of old days, and vinegar is a fermented product that gets better with age. So you can remember "old (昔) wine (酉) becomes vinegar" — the older it is, the more sour and flavorful.

The left radical 酉 has 7 strokes and must be written narrower than the right side. A common mistake is making the top horizontal stroke of 酉 too long, which throws off the balance. Also, the right side 昔 contains 日 (sun) on top and 日 (sun) again below with a horizontal stroke between them — do not confuse these with other similar shapes.

酩 (mǐng) is part of the word 酩酊 (mǐngdǐng, meaning drunk or tipsy), so its left radical is also 酉 but the right side is 名 (name). 酪 (lào) means yogurt or cheese, with right side 各 (gè). In contrast, 醋 always refers to vinegar or jealousy, and its right side is 昔 (old). Visually, 醋 has two 日 stacked, while 酩 has 夕 and 口, and 酪 has 夂 and 口.

Besides meaning vinegar as a condiment, 醋 appears in common phrases like 吃醋 (chī cù), which literally means "eat vinegar" but idiomatically means to be jealous, usually in romantic situations. There is a famous Chinese saying that a jealous woman is like drinking vinegar — sour and bitter. So knowing 醋 helps you understand both a common ingredient and a colorful emotional expression.

Common words containing 醋 include: 吃醋 (chī cù) — to be jealous (usually in a romantic context); 陈醋 (chén cù) — aged vinegar; 醋意 (cù yì) — jealousy.