How to Write 叼 (diāo) — Meaning “to hold in the mouth”

Imagine a bird with a twig in its beak: the left part 口 is the beak, and the right part 刁 looks like a curved twig being held tightly. Or think of the phrase "mouth (口) holding a tricky (刁) object" to remember that it's an action requiring care.

The stroke order is: first write the left radical 口 (vertical, top horizontal turn, bottom horizontal), then the right part 刁 (horizontal, vertical hook, dot). A common mistake is making the vertical hook too long or placing the dot too high; keep the dot at the bottom right of the hook.

Unlike 口 which simply means 'mouth' (a noun), 叼 is a verb meaning 'to hold in the mouth'. 卟 (bǔ) means 'to spit out' or is used in onomatopoeia; its right part 卜 is different from 刁. Visually, 叼's right side has a curved hook and dot, while 卟 has a simple vertical line with a dot.

叼 is commonly used for animals carrying objects in their mouths (e.g., a dog 叼着 a bone) or for people holding a cigarette between their lips (叼烟). In Chinese art, dragons or phoenixes are often depicted 叼着 pearls, symbolizing power and good fortune.

Common words containing 叼 include: 叼着 (diāo zhe) — holding in the mouth; 叼走 (diāo zǒu) — to carry away in the mouth; 叼烟 (diāo yān) — to hold a cigarette in the mouth.