How to Write 疔 (dīng) — Meaning “Furuncle; boil; carbuncle”

Imagine a sick person (疒) who steps on a nail (丁) and develops a painful boil on their foot. The nail shape reminds you that the boil is sharp and swollen, matching the meaning of furuncle.

The radical 疒 has three strokes: a dot, a horizontal stroke from left to right, and a sweeping downward left stroke; keep the dot slightly above and left of the horizontal. Inside, write 丁 with the horizontal stroke crossing the vertical hook; make sure the 丁 sits centered under the dot of 疒, not too high or low.

疒 is the sickness radical itself and is never used alone as a word; it only appears as a component in other characters. 疖 (jiē) means a small, superficial boil like a pimple, while 疔 (dīng) refers to a deep, hard, and painful furuncle or carbuncle that is more serious.

疔 is a medical term for a specific type of skin infection, usually appearing in traditional Chinese medicine or dermatology contexts. It is not common in daily conversation but can be found in words like 疔疮 (dīngchuāng, boil) and 疔毒 (dīngdú, poisonous boil), often in herbal medicine or acupuncture texts.

Common words containing 疔 include: 疔疮 (dīng chuāng) — Furuncle; boil; 疔毒 (dīng dú) — Poisonous boil; furunculosis; 蛇疔 (shé dīng) — Whitlow / Paronychia.