How to Write 夃 (gǔ) — Meaning “To buy or sell / To profit (archaic)”

Imagine an evening (夕) market where a merchant draws a profit line (the top strokes) across his sales. The shape looks like a small stall with a roof, helping you remember the ideas of trade and gain.

Stroke order: first a left-falling stroke (丿), then a horizontal stroke (一), then a horizontal hook (𠃋), and finally a dot (丶). A common mistake is making the top cross too wide or forgetting the hook, which changes the character into something else.

夃 has a cross-like top with a hook and a dot, while 夅 has a downward-pointing arrow shape (夂) without a dot. 夕 is simply a crescent moon shape (丿㇏) with no extra strokes. Their meanings also differ: 夅 relates to descending, and 夕 means evening.

夃 is archaic and rarely used in everyday Chinese today. You may encounter it in classical texts or in historical terms like 夃利 (to make a profit), but it has been largely replaced by modern characters such as 买, 卖, or 赚.

Common words containing 夃 include: 夃得 (gǔ dé) — To obtain / To gain; 夃盈 (gǔ yíng) — Surplus / Profit; 夃利 (gǔ lì) — To make a profit.