How to Write 缟 (gǎo) — Meaning “plain white silk”

Imagine a tall (高) piece of white silk fabric hanging from a thread (纟). The tall shape reminds you that the right side is 高, and the silk radical on the left helps you recall it is a type of silk. This visual of a 'tall white silk' can fix the character in your memory.

Write the radical 纟 first (three strokes:折折提), then the right side 高 starting with the dot at the top. A common mistake is making the left side too wide or forgetting the dot above the口 on the right. Keep the left side narrow and the right side balanced, with the bottom口 slightly wider than the top.

缟 (gǎo) means 'plain white silk', while 绩 (jì) means 'achievement' or 'to spin thread', and 绪 (xù) means 'beginning' or 'thread end'. Visually, 缟 has 高 on the right, 绩 has 责, and 绪 has 者. Pay attention to the right-side components to tell them apart.

缟 is rarely used in everyday conversation today, but appears in literary or historical contexts. It often appears in the word 缟素, which refers to white mourning clothes worn in traditional Chinese funerals, symbolizing purity and grief. You might also encounter it in classical poetry describing simple white silk garments.

Common words containing 缟 include: 缟素 (gǎo sù) — white mourning dress; plain white silk; 缟衣 (gǎo yī) — white silk clothes; 缟带 (gǎo dài) — white silk belt.