How to Write 黩 (dú) — Meaning “To abuse; to blacken; to defile”

Imagine a "black sale" — shady merchants selling dirty goods under a dark cloud, representing abuse and corruption. The left side 黑 looks like a dark stain, and the right 卖 means "sell," so picture someone selling their morality for money.

Start with the left radical 黑: write the top left vertical, then the horizontal, then the two dots, then the bottom horizontal, then the four dots in a row. On the right, 卖 has a top 十, a roof-like 冖, and a bottom 头 section. Keep the right side compact and balanced with the left — common mistakes include making 卖 too wide or misplacing the dots in 黑.

黩 (dú) has the right component 卖 (sell) and means "to abuse" or "to blacken." 黟 (yī) has 多 (many) on the right and refers to a black stone or a dark color. 黠 (xiá) has 吉 (auspicious) on the right and means "cunning" or "clever." Visual difference: the right sides are completely different shapes.

黩 is quite formal and appears mainly in fixed expressions like 穷兵黩武 (using all military force aggressively), 黩职 (malpractice in office), and 黩货 (greed for bribes). It carries a strong negative tone of corruption or overuse of power. You will rarely see it in casual conversation, but it appears in news articles about political scandals or historical criticism.

Common words containing 黩 include: 穷兵黩武 (qióng bīng dú wǔ) — To use all one's military might / militaristic; 黩职 (dú zhí) — Malpractice; dereliction of duty; 黩货 (dú huò) — To be greedy for bribes; corruption.