How to Write 歛 (hān) — Meaning “To collect or restrain”

Picture a greedy person yawning (欠) while collecting money from everyone (僉 means 'all together') into a pile. This image helps you recall that 歛 means to amass or restrain, especially in words like 歛财 (to hoard wealth). The 17 strokes can feel overwhelming, so focus on the left side as a group of people (僉) and the right as a yawning mouth.

Pay attention to the left side 僉, which has many strokes: it starts with a top 'person' component, then two mouths, and ends with a horizontal stroke before the 欠. A common mistake is to make the left side too wide; keep it narrow so the right side 欠 has room. The last two strokes of 欠 (the hook and the dot) should be clear and balanced.

Unlike 歛 (to collect/restrain), 歔 (xū) means 'to sigh' and uses the radical 欠 with 虚 (emptiness). 歙 (xī) means 'to suck' or 'inhale', also with 欠 and 翕 (to close together). Visually, 歛 has a left side with many components (僉), while 歔 has 虚 (empty) and 歙 has 翕 (a lid-like shape). Their meanings differ: 歛 is about gathering, 歔 about sighing, and 歙 about sucking in.

歛 appears in formal or literary contexts, often with a negative connotation in 歛财 (to amass wealth unscrupulously). It is also used in 收歛, meaning 'to restrain oneself' or 'to converge', as in scientific contexts (e.g., rays converging). Culturally, 歛迹 suggests a wise person hiding their talents to avoid trouble, reflecting the value of modesty in traditional Chinese philosophy.

Common words containing 歛 include: 歛财 (hān cái) — To amass wealth (often unscrupulously); 收歛 (shōu hān) — to restrain oneself; to converge; 歛迹 (hān jì) — To keep a low profile or disappear from view.