How to Write 砀 (dàng) — Meaning “brilliant stone; to surge”

Imagine a stone (石) sitting under the bright sun (昜). The sun makes the stone sparkle like a brilliant gem, which is the meaning of 砀. You can also think of the sun’s heat causing water to surge over the stone.

Write the left radical 石 first with normal proportions, then write the right part 昜, which has a long horizontal stroke at the top of the sun component. A common mistake is making the right part too short or narrow, so be sure the sun section (日) is clearly visible and the strokes below extend evenly.

砀 has the component 昜 (sunshine), giving it meanings of brilliance or surging, while 矶 (jī) contains 几 (table) and means a rock, and 矸 (gān) contains 干 (dry) and means rock debris. Visually, 砀 is more complex on the right side, whereas 矶 and 矸 have simpler right components.

砀 is not a common character; it appears mostly in the place name 砀山 (Dàngshān), a county in Anhui known for its pears. It also appears in classical literature to describe vast surging water. You are unlikely to use it in daily conversation, but it may appear in geography or history texts.

Common words containing 砀 include: 砀山 (dàng shān) — Dangshan (a county in Anhui, China); 砀基 (dàng jī) — foundation base; 砀砀 (dàng dàng) — vast and surging.