How to Write 耷 (dā) — Meaning “drooping; hanging down”

Picture a person with a very big ear (耳) that is so heavy it droops down, with the top part 大 looking like the person's outstretched arms. Another trick: think of a large (大) ear (耳) that is sagging or hanging low.

First write the top 大: horizontal stroke, then left-falling, then right-falling. Then write the bottom 耳: horizontal, vertical, horizontal, vertical, horizontal. Make sure the 耳 is centered under 大 and not too wide. A common mistake is making the 耳 too wide or misaligning the vertical strokes.

耵 has 丁 (a nail) on top of 耳 and means 'earwax,' while 耴 has a hook component (乚) on top of 耳 and is very rare, meaning 'to pull the ear.' 耷 uses 大 on top and specifically means 'drooping' or 'hanging down.' Visually, only 耷 has the large top part 大.

耷 is mostly used in informal, spoken Chinese in words like 耷拉 (to droop) for things like ears, branches, or cloth. For example, 耷拉着头 means to have one's head hanging down (sad or tired), and 耷拉着脸 means to pull a long face (look sullen). It is not part of HSK vocabulary but is common in everyday life.

Common words containing 耷 include: 耷拉 (dā lā) — to droop; to hang down; 耷拉着头 (dā lā zhe tóu) — with one's head hanging down; 耷拉着脸 (dā lā zhe liǎn) — to pull a long face; to look sullen.