How to Write 粹 (cuì) — Meaning “Pure; essence.”

Imagine a soldier (卒) carefully guarding a bowl of pure, white rice (米). The soldier protects the rice because it represents the essence of food. This visual links the components to the meaning 'pure essence'.

Keep the left side 米 narrow and compact, with the vertical stroke slightly leaning to the left. The right side 卒 should be wider, and make sure its bottom vertical stroke aligns with the center of the character. A common mistake is making the 米 too wide, which disrupts the balance.

粹 (cuì) means pure essence, with 米 on the left and 卒 on the right. 粞 (xī) means broken rice, with 米 left and 西 (west) right. 粟 (sù) means millet, with 西 on top and 米 below. They look different because the positions of components vary, and each has a distinct meaning related to grains.

粹 appears in common words like 纯粹 (chún cuì, purely), 精粹 (jīng cuì, essence), and 国粹 (guó cuì, national essence). 国粹 often refers to treasured traditional Chinese cultural elements like Peking opera or calligraphy. You use it when describing something as the purest or most refined part of a whole.

Common words containing 粹 include: 纯粹 (chún cuì) — purely; sheer; purely; 精粹 (jīng cuì) — Essence; the best part.; 国粹 (guó cuì) — National essence / Quintessence of national culture.