How to Write 赕 (dǎn) — Meaning “to offer gifts to Buddha (in Dai culture)”

Imagine a shell (贝) filled with deep (覃) treasures that you offer to a Buddha statue. The left side means money, and the right side looks like a deep container, so together it means ‘deep offering of valuables.’ This helps you recall the meaning of giving gifts to Buddha.

Write the left radical 贝 (4 strokes) first, then the right part 覃 (8 strokes). Make sure the bottom of 覃 has a horizontal line under the 曰 (sun) shape, not a missing stroke. A common mistake is confusing the top of 覃 with 西 — it is actually 覀 (a variant of 西) with an extra line.

赕 means to offer gifts to Buddha, while 賏 (yīng) means a string of shells or an ancient necklace, and 贼 (zéi) means thief or traitor. Visually, 赕 has 贝 on the left and 覃 on the right; 賏 has two 贝 stacked; 贼 has 贝 on the left and 则 on the right. Their meanings and components are completely different.

赕 is rarely used in standard Mandarin and appears mainly in the context of Dai culture in Yunnan Province, especially in Buddhist ceremonies. It is found in words like 赕佛 (making offerings to Buddha) and 赕钱 (money given as an offering). The character carries strong regional and religious associations.

Common words containing 赕 include: 赕佛 (dǎn fú) — to make offerings to Buddha; 赕钱 (dǎn qián) — money offered to Buddha; 赕物 (dǎn wù) — offerings (for religious purposes).