How to Write 褡 (dā) — Meaning “to hang over; a pouch”

Imagine a large coat (衤) with a big pocket where you keep an answer sheet (荅) for a test — the pocket hangs heavily over the coat. You can think of "da-da" (dā dā) as the sound the pouch makes when it swings against your body.

Write the left radical 衤 first with three strokes: dot, horizontal-vertical-hook, then two short strokes. Then on the right write 荅: first the grass radical 艹 (four strokes), then 合 (six strokes: left-falling, right-falling, horizontal, vertical, horizontal fold, horizontal). A common mistake is making the right side too wide — keep it balanced and slightly narrower than the left.

褡 (dā) means a pouch that hangs over the body, while 裎 (chéng) means to take off clothes or bare the body — note the radical is the same but the right side 呈 means "present" or "bare." 裕 (yù) means abundant or wealthy, from the radical 衤 combined with 谷 (valley), so it describes having plenty of clothes, not a pouch. Visually, 褡 has a grass radical on top of 合, while the others have distinct right-side shapes.

褡 appears mainly in specific words like 褡裢 (dā lián) — a traditional cloth pouch carried across the shoulder or worn at the belt, often used by travelers or merchants in old China. In modern times, it is not common in daily speech, but you may see it in historical dramas or cultural exhibits describing traditional clothing accessories.

Common words containing 褡 include: 褡裢 (dā lián) — a pouch or bag carried over the shoulder or belt; 钱褡 (qián dā) — money belt / pouch; 褡包 (dā bāo) — a long pouch or girdle worn around the waist.