How to Write 戜 (dié) — Meaning “Sharp; to cut.”

Imagine a sharp axe (戉) and a sharp spear (戈) crossing each other — the clash creates a sudden, sharp sound, like "dié." This visual of two weapons striking together helps link the shape to its meanings "sharp" and "suddenly."

Write the left component 戉 first (7 strokes: horizontal, vertical, horizontal, vertical, left-falling, right-falling, horizontal), then add the right component 戈 (4 strokes: horizontal, left-falling, horizontal hook, slash). A common mistake is to make the left part too wide — keep it narrow so the whole character stays balanced.

While 戜, 威, and 战 all contain the radical 戈, their left parts differ: 戜 has 戉 (axe), 威 has 女 (woman) under 戈, and 战 has 占 (to occupy). Their meanings are also distinct: 戜 means "sharp" or "sudden," 威 means "power" or "might," and 战 means "war" or "fight."

戜 is extremely rare in modern Chinese and does not appear in HSK lists. It is mostly encountered in classical texts, such as in the word 戜然 meaning "suddenly" or "sharply." For language learners, knowing it is mainly useful for reading ancient literature rather than daily conversation.

Common words containing 戜 include: 戜戜 (dié dié) — Orderly and polite.; 戜然 (dié rán) — Suddenly; sharply.; 戜戜然 (dié dié rán) — In an orderly or polite manner..