How to Write 醢 (hǎi) — Meaning “minced meat pickled in brine”

Imagine a wine jar (酉) filled with salty water (brine), and inside it there is a small bowl (皿) holding tiny pieces of meat (like dots or strokes above 皿). The overall shape looks like a jar with a lid and a container inside, reminding you of "pickled minced meat."

Write the left side 酉 first (7 strokes), then the upper part 䍙 (8 strokes) which is like 罒 (net) over 䏍, and finally 皿 (5 strokes) at the bottom. Keep 酉 narrow and tall, and let the right side be balanced — the top component should not be too large, and 皿 should sit firmly under it. A common mistake is making the 酉 too wide or misplacing the right side stroke order.

醢 is a very rare character in modern Chinese, mostly found in ancient texts like historical records or classical literature describing preserved foods. It is not used in everyday speech, but "肉醢" (ròuhǎi) or "鱼醢" (yúhǎi) occasionally appear in culinary history discussions or traditional recipe descriptions. In ancient China, 醢 was also a punishment involving mincing the body, so the character carries a dark historical connotation.

Common words containing 醢 include: 肉醢 (ròu hǎi) — minced meat sauce / pickled meat; 鱼醢 (yú hǎi) — Minced fish sauce; 醢酱 (hǎi jiàng) — minced meat sauce.