How to Write 桴 (fú) — Meaning “Raft or drumstick”

Imagine a wooden raft (木) floating on water, and the right side 孚 looks like a hand holding a stick — that stick is the drumstick for hitting a drum. The sound "fú" also reminds you of "floating," which helps you remember the raft meaning.

First write the left radical 木 (horizontal, vertical, left-falling, right-falling), then the right part 孚: top claw shape 爫 (three strokes) and bottom 子 (three strokes). A common mistake is making the 木 too wide or the 子 too small, so keep the left part narrow and the right part balanced.

桴 has 孚 on the right, which looks like a claw over a child; 枯 has 古 (old) on the right, and 枰 has 平 (flat) on the right. Their meanings are different: 桴 is a raft or drumstick, 枯 means withered or dry, and 枰 is a chessboard.

桴 is rarely used in everyday Chinese; it appears mainly in classical texts and traditional contexts. The phrase 乘桴 (chéng fú) comes from Confucius, who said he would ride a raft to sea if no one followed his way, giving it a poetic, literary feel.

Common words containing 桴 include: 桴炭 (fú tàn) — Light charcoal; 乘桴 (chéng fú) — to ride a raft; 桴鼓 (fú gǔ) — Drum and drumstick.