How to Write 籴 (dí) — Meaning “Buy grain”

Imagine a farmer saying “I need to 入 (enter) the market to buy some 米 (rice).” You can also visualize a basket with the shape of 入 entering a pile of grain 米 – that action of buying is exactly what 籴 means.

The top part 入 should be written with the left stroke shorter than the right stroke, and it must not be confused with 八 or 人. The bottom 米 should be centered under the 入, and the whole character is compact – keep the vertical strokes of 米 straight and not too tall.

The key difference is the top part: 籴 has 入 (enter) while 全 has 人 (person). Their meanings are unrelated – 籴 means ‘buy grain,’ while 全 means ‘whole’ or ‘complete.’ Visually, 入 has a shorter left stroke that stops higher, while 人 has two strokes that meet at the top.

籴 is rarely used in everyday modern Chinese and is not part of the HSK vocabulary. It mainly appears in agricultural or historical contexts, such as in formal phrases like 籴米 (buy rice) or 籴粮 (buy grain), or in classical literature describing grain trade.

Common words containing 籴 include: 籴米 (dí mǐ) — Buy rice; 籴粮 (dí liáng) — Buy grain; 籴进 (dí jìn) — Purchase (grain).