How to Write 诡 (guǐ) — Meaning “deceitful; strange”

Picture a person speaking (讠) while standing on a dangerous cliff (危). Their words sound strange and tricky because they are in a risky situation. This image links the two parts to the meaning of deceitful or eerie.

The left radical 讠 is written with a dot and a horizontal fold stroke. The right side 危 has six strokes: start with a left-falling stroke, then a horizontal fold, a horizontal turn, two horizontals, and a vertical hook. A common mistake is making the right side too wide or forgetting the inner horizontal stroke.

讲 has 井 (a well) on the right and means to speak or explain, with a neutral tone. 讳 has 韦 (leather) on the right and means to avoid or taboo. In contrast, 诡 has 危 (danger) and always carries a negative meaning of deceit or strangeness.

诡 appears in formal or literary contexts, such as 诡计 (trick) and 诡异 (eerie). It is common in news, stories, or philosophical discussions, like 诡辩 (sophistry). The character has a strong negative connotation and is not used in casual everyday conversation.

Common words containing 诡 include: 诡计 (guǐ jì) — trick; scheme; ruse; 诡异 (guǐ yì) — eerie; strange; weird; 诡辩 (guǐ biàn) — sophistry; quibble.