How to Write 耿 (gěng) — Meaning “upright; bright”

Imagine an ear (耳) catching fire (火) — a person who is so upright that truth burns in their ears and they cannot ignore it. This fiery honesty helps recall the meaning 'upright and bright'.

The left side 耳 should be narrow, and the right side 火 must be balanced, with its last stroke (dot) placed above the left-falling stroke. A common mistake is making the 火 too wide or writing the 耳 too tall.

耿 means 'upright' and uses 火, while 耵 (dīng) refers to earwax and uses 丁, and 耶 (yē) is a phonetic character for foreign sounds or an interrogative particle. Visually, 耿 has fire on the right, unlike 耵 with a nail-like 丁 and 耶 with a 阝 on the right.

耿 appears in words like 耿直 (gěng zhí, upright and straightforward) and 耿耿 (gěng gěng, meaning 'troubled' or 'bright', as in 耿耿于怀 'to brood over'). It is not in HSK but is common in literary or descriptive contexts to praise honest character.

Common words containing 耿 include: 耿直 (gěng zhí) — upright; straightforward; 耿耿 (gěng gěng) — dedicated; troubled; bright; 忠耿 (zhōng gěng) — Loyal and upright.