How to Write 邸 (dǐ) — Meaning “official residence; mansion”

Think of the left radical 阝 as a tall building and the right part 氐 as a person standing on a base — together they create an 'official mansion' where important people live. You can also remember that "dǐ" sounds like "dwelling," which is a fancy word for a home.

Start by writing the left radical 阝: first a horizontal stroke with a hook, then a vertical stroke. Then write the right part 氐: a left-falling stroke, a vertical, two horizontals, a diagonal hook, and a dot at the bottom right. A common mistake is forgetting the final dot or making the diagonal hook too straight instead of curved.

The main difference is the right part: 邸 has 氐 (dǐ), while 邗 has 干 (gān) and 邘 has 于 (yú). Visually, 氐 includes a hook and a dot, whereas 干 is a simple cross and 于 has a different stroke order. Meaning-wise, 邸 refers to an official residence or mansion, but 邗 and 邘 are only used in ancient place names and are rare in modern Chinese.

Today, 邸 appears mostly in formal or historical contexts, such as 官邸 (guān dǐ) for the official residence of a government leader or 府邸 (fǔ dǐ) for a wealthy person's mansion. It is also found in 邸报 (dǐ bào), which was an ancient imperial bulletin. You will not use it in everyday conversation, but it appears in news, history, and literature.

Common words containing 邸 include: 官邸 (guān dǐ) — Official residence; 邸报 (dǐ bào) — imperial bulletin; official gazette; 府邸 (fǔ dǐ) — Mansion; official residence.