How to Write 箪 (dān) — Meaning “round bamboo basket for food”

Imagine a simple bamboo basket that holds only one meal – a 'single' (單) basket made of bamboo (⺮). This connects the shape to the idea of a humble, round bamboo basket for carrying food.

Pay attention to the bottom part 單, which has many horizontal strokes; keep them evenly spaced and parallel. A common mistake is making the 單 too wide or too narrow – it should be balanced under the bamboo top, with the overall shape being slightly tall and narrow.

箪 (dān) means a round bamboo food basket and has 單 below. 筀 (guì) is a type of bamboo (rarely used) with 圭 below. 筅 (xiǎn) is a bamboo brush for cleaning with 先 below. The key visual difference is the bottom component: 單 vs. 圭 vs. 先.

箪 is not common in daily speech; it appears in classical idioms like 箪食瓢饮 (dān shí piáo yǐn), describing a simple life with just a basket of food and a gourd ladle. This phrase comes from Confucius praising his student Yan Hui for being content with very little.

Common words containing 箪 include: 箪食 (dān shí) — a basket of food; 箪瓢 (dān piáo) — bamboo basket and gourd ladle (symbol of a simple life); 竹箪 (zhú dān) — Bamboo basket for food.