How to Write 笃 (dǔ) — Meaning “Sincere or earnest”

Picture a bamboo horse — a child’s toy made of bamboo shaped like a horse — that a child rides with earnest joy. The bamboo (top) and horse (bottom) together remind you of the sincere, playful determination of a child, which matches the character's meaning of sincere or earnest.

Write the top bamboo radical first: left part (撇,横,点), then right part (撇,横,点) — note that the bottom of bamboo has two short strokes. Then write the horse below: horizontal, dot, vertical, horizontal, horizontal, vertical — 9 strokes total. A common mistake is making the bamboo top too wide or placing the horse too low; keep the top compact and centered over the horse.

笃 (dǔ) means sincere and has a horse below, while 竺 (zhú) means bamboo or is used in the name for ancient India (天竺) and has two lines (二) under bamboo. 竽 (yú) is an ancient musical instrument, with bamboo top and a 于 (yú) component below. Focus on the lower part: 马 = horse, 二 = two, 于 = a sound component.

笃 appears in formal or literary expressions like 笃定 (certain), 笃实 (honest), and 笃信 (to firmly believe). It carries a warm, traditional Confucian value of sincerity and steadfastness, often used to praise someone's reliable character or deep conviction, though it is not common in everyday casual speech.

Common words containing 笃 include: 笃定 (dǔ dìng) — Certain or composed; 笃实 (dǔ shí) — Sincere and honest; 笃信 (dǔ xìn) — To believe firmly.